Pets
by Reciita1717
Summary: Shikamaru, Kankurou, Kiba, Neji, and Shino are captured, and all end up... changed into pets? Sorry, just read the story for further explanation. Rated T will change to M
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter notes:** Chapter one, if you like, review! This is the opener, so yeah, a lot happens and yet... Nothing happens, but it does get right into it. Enjoy, I hope!

Warnings: AU, Dark. In the future, will contain: Rape, Sexual Themes, Yaoi. (Don't like, don't read)

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"That, was awesome!" Kiba exclaimed, slowing down a little to run abreast with Kankurou. "No wonder Tsunade insisted that we have you come with us!"

"Keep it down, we're still in enemy territory… Troublesome…" Shikamaru groaned as Kiba stuck out his tongue childishly.

"And who would follow us after the show they got?!" Naruto swung about the branches, still on an adrenalin rush from their success.

"He had Akamaru and I flying around over their heads for at least ten minutes! They must have thought we were demons!" Kiba slapped Kankurou on the back. Kankurou grunted, missing a branch and landed heavily on the ground on his left leg, to rotation obvious. Immediately, he sat down to look up and glare at the dog nin. "You alright?!" Kiba jumped to the ground, Akamaru right behind him as the rest of the group stood watch.

"What do you think?" Kankurou panted, rubbing his left ankle with irritation.

"Is it broken?" Naruto asked, worry in his voice as Kankurou rotated his foot in a circle.

"It's fine, I'm just tired. You weigh more than my two puppets combined, add an Akamaru that weighs just as much as a Kiba and you have one exhausted Kankurou." Kankurou gritted out, trying to stand. "Help me up you ungrateful jerk." Kiba grinned at him, pulling him to his feet.

"We're supposed to meet the other team at the village line tonight, but I don't think we're going to make it… what a bother this turned out to be…" Shikamaru made a box with his hands, thinking of their next move.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Kankurou began to try to walk, and stopped after one step. "I wasn't expecting my own teammate to slap me out of the air in mid leap." He elbowed Kiba, chuckling. "You don't know your own strength there buddy."

"Sorry, can I shoulder some of your load?" Kiba went to take a puppet from Kankurou's back, Kankurou shifted away.

"Naw, I think Shikamaru is reconfiguring our schedule." He pointed to their leader.

"Naruto, Kiba, go ahead and tell Neji's team to come to us. Kankurou, sit down and put up your foot, it's swelling." Shikamaru groaned, pulling out a medical pack. "I don't understand why Tsunade sama didn't let us have Sakura for this. If this mission was so important to have so many people out here, we should have been allowed a medic nin." Kankurou shook his head.

"Oh I can deal with this, let's keep going. We are in enemy territory, right?" He started to try to walk again. "Actually Kiba, if you can take this guy right here- that would be helpful…" He started to hand Kiba the heavier of the two puppets.

"Kiba, Naruto, go get Neji's team, Kankurou, sit!" Shikamaru grabbed the puppet's shoulder strap and rested it against a tree. Feeling the frustration of being out in enemy territory for to long, he used a tactic from Shino's play book. "I am the leader of this mission, and we'll be a herd of lame deer in front of a bunch of hunters if we all try to keep moving. Kankurou and I will hide out here, you two go get our back up!" Kiba and Naruto nodded vigorously, taking off through the woods.

"Do I have to sit before we start concealing the area?" Kankurou asked, shifting a bit from his injured ankle to his other foot. Shikamaru groaned.

"You're just like you're sister…" Kankurou grinned and winked at him, moving his puppets around to hide in a hole of a tree trunk, their wooden bodies blending in.

"You're wrong there genius, I'm WORSE than my sister." Laughing, he finally rested himself in a relatively concealing bush. Shikamaru groaned again, sitting down to tend to the still swelling ankle.

"It's not broken, but it might as well as be." Shikamaru put a tight splint on the injury, digging out a crush activated cooling paper seal to stick to the wraps.

"How do you make that?" Kankurou eyed it, fascinated.

"Hokage sama made up the med pack, explained how to use it too, just not how to make it." Shikamaru sighed, handing off a piece of jerky laced with pain reliever. "I know better than to try to give you medication for the pain. All you people from Suna are crazy." Kankurou ripped into the jerky, chewing it with an approving look on his face, swallowing.

"If you don't need it, don't use it. We are good at handling pain, and medicines are hard to come by in Suna. Better to build up a tolerance to pain then use up all the pain reliving herbs for a head ache just to have a ninja come in missing a limb and NEEDS a good pain reliever." Kankurou dug into his pack, pulling out a flask. "We use this instead." Shikamaru's eyes went wide as Kankurou took a swig of it. Catching the look of what he took to be shock, he offered it to Shikamaru. "If you're old enough to die for your village, you're old enough to drink, I started when I was eight actually. Don't worry, we train while drinking, I'll still be able to jump- Or limp in this instance, into action if need be. Want some?" He wiggled it a little, Shikamaru shaking his head.

"No… Thank you." Shikamaru swallowed hard. If he had known that Kankurou would drink away the pain, he wouldn't have given him any pain reliever. Trying to think of a way to stop Kankurou from drinking without letting the puppet nin know he was drugged, Shikamaru couldn't come up with any immediately.

"Hey, your loss." Kankurou tipped the flask back again, then buried it back into his pack. "That should be enough to take the edge off."

"Neji's team should be back by nightfall. We might be able to make some more progress to the border." Shikamaru shifted, hoping that Suna's alcohol was like Konoha's liquor, he knew how to carry a drunk after bringing his father home from the bar so many times. Turning to see how Kankurou was dealing with the fast acting pain reliever, all he saw was a face… With purple lines across it… Snoring slightly… Shikamaru leaned away from the tree and reached around to the other shinobi's pack, pulling it across both of their laps, and began to dig through it. He didn't know how a pack could weight so much, and that added with two puppets, he no longer wondered why Kankurou was so much bigger than his siblings. Opening it, he found lots of kunais, wrenches, screwdrivers, extra nuts and bolts, several vials of poisons, all for his puppets most likely. Finding the bottom, he spotted his quarry next to an emergency energy food source. Lifting the small flask out of the pack, he wondered at how quickly it and the pain reliever mix had knocked out the other shinobi. He opened it, taking a quick whiff. "Gah!" He had to stop himself from tossing it, quickly putting the lid on and shoving it back into the pack. "That would probably kill a man like my father with just one sip!"

Sitting for a long time, curiosity got the better of him, as he began to rummage around some of the other interior pockets. In one he found pictures, one of a family of four, father holding a blond girl, mother holding a baby. 'Before Gaara… He's a cute baby…' One of a family of four once again, the little boy was holding a bundle this time and the mother was missing. "After Gaara, Kankurou looks so proud… Temari is smiling too." One of a long haired boy Shikamaru didn't recognize. He was hugging who he guessed to be a five or six year old Kankurou, and the boy had to be in his early teens. Flipping the worn photo over, he read the faint inscription on it. "To Kankurou: I love you, I wish that you would put yourself first for once. Hiroshi." Shikamaru frowned a little, but tried not to judge. The last two photos were newer. In the first one, Gaara was to close to the camera, obviously looking at it suspiciously; Kankurou was standing sideways off to the far side, giving a victorious looking Temari an odd look. The second one had Gaara's eye wide in surprise and Temari laughing, Kankurou had this surprised look in the single eye turned towards the camera, mouth agape. He must have realized it was just a picture, he didn't even turn his body to the camera. 'Temari must have hidden the camera to get a shot of them all, based on how the last family photo appears to be from Gaara was an infant.' Shikamaru smiled, putting them back in order and slipping them back into the pocket, feeling something soft brush against his fingers. Almost recoiling back, he changed his mind and gingerly pulled it out.

"A purple handkerchief?" Shikamaru wondered out loud, rubbing the fabric between to fingers. "No… To thick… Could it be?..." He turned towards the slumbering Kankurou, who had fallen over, though no longer snoring. Shikamaru put it close to Kankurou's face, who in response took a deep breath, reached out, and pillowed his face against it, all the while not breaking into consciousness. "It is! It's a *baby blanket*!" Shikamaru exclaimed as quietly as he could, holding back his laughter. Finding nothing of interest in the other pockets, just different brush sets and face paint, he tried to remove the tiny piece of torn baby blanket from Kankurou's grip. "C'mon man, I don't think you want Kiba and Naruto to see you like this." Shikamaru winced as he heard a slight tearing sound, and decided to tuck it more under Kankurou's face to keep it from sight. He hoped that Neji wasn't using his bayakugan, sitting awkwardly in their small hiding spot.  
… "You in there? What happened?" Neji stood outside the bush as Shikamaru started to pull out the still slumbering puppet nin, taking the opportunity to try to hide the baby blanket from the other nin.

"I'll explain later, where are the others?" Shikamaru asked, looking up at the white eyed nin. Something felt off.

"They are keeping watch around us, there have been some suspicious noises ever since we started down the path to you guys." Neji shifted, keeping his arms crossed. Shikamaru nudged Kankurou back into the bush. "C'mon, let's go." He froze the man in place.

"You're not Neji, he doesn't talk like that." Shikamaru brought up the shadow hand bind to the man's neck, threatening. "Where's my team? Answer before I kill you." Shikamaru cursed his luck as the man smiled, changing form into a formidable sized man.

"You give up quietly, or we kill the green one." Another member of the enemy's team came out with an unconscious Lee, holding a kunai next to his throat.

"Who are you guys, you aren't even from the village we were at!" Shikamaru tried to kick Kankurou without drawing attention to his motion, making contact. Kankurou groaned and rolled over.

"So there is another person in there… Well, he seems to not be of any help, come here now… We don't want to hurt you." He knelt down on one knee, breaking the shadow bind. Shikamaru's eyes went wide as the energy backfired on him, face contorting slightly from the pain. The man appeared to be trying to be innocent looking, like a parent calling in a scared child.

"I don't believe you." He growled, trying to think.

"We get less money if you're injured. I don't want a bruise on you, you're cute, especially with those earrings, they look good on you." Shikamaru felt a hand grasp his ankle, and he held back a smile.

"What the hell was in that jerky?" He heard Kankurou growl. Shikamaru frowned; he really wasn't going to be of any help…

"He sounds lovely, don't think we'll be retiring on the money we make from that guy… But seriously now, we won't make any money off of the green one, nor the scarred up orange boy… We'll kill them both if it will get you to come out." Shikamaru stood up out of the bush, thinking furiously. This man could break his shadow bind, if his team really did beat his team, he didn't stand a chance. "We also have the dog boy, we'll probably have to kill his dog… We're working on the Aburame's bugs at the moment, and the long haired boy has been put into a nice restful slumber. Don't you feel sleepy?" Shikamaru's brain felt as though it was covered in fuzz, like a moss had seeped into his ear and took root into the soft tissues. 'Genjutsu?' Shikamaru thought to himself, bringing a shadow around to break one of his own fingers to snap himself out of it. "No no no! Bad little shadow nin!" The man was suddenly to close, in his face, holding the finger intended for breakage protectively. "I said, I don't want you to even have a bruise…" Shikamaru felt his knees give way, kneeling before his captor.

"Why can't I fight?" Shikamaru asked out loud, sleep trying to close his eye lids.

"You don't want to, the green boy over there, remember?" The man began to pick him up as a father would a small child, not hindered at all by Shikamaru's long frame. "We don't want anyone hurt." He started to walk to another man that sprouted from no where, about to hand off Shikamaru. "Itai!" He collapsed onto one knee, resting Shikamaru onto the ground as gently as possible. Shikamaru rolled onto his side to see Kankurou half way out from under the bush, hand outstretched. Looking over to the man's leg, a poisoned kunai stuck in a good three inches, and the handle was dripping with blood mixed with poison. Kankurou moved his hand again, Karasu tearing out of the tree and heading straight at the prone man… Almost straight anyways. Kankurou was still half asleep, fighting on instinct, and the puppet missed, shattering against a tree from the force of Kankurou's wearied fingertips. He no longer had the articulation necessary for proper puppet use.

"Shikamaru… Get up." Kankurou began to stand, pulling Karasu back together. "Let's go!" Using his other hand now, he tried to get into a fighting stance, favoring his left leg. Shikamaru struggled against the hold the large man had on his mind as the said man unfolded his length, pulling the kunai out and flexing his calf to pump out as much as he could.

"He can't. Are you hurt?" He sounded genuinely concerned, ducking another blow from Karasu. Karasu careened about, coming back to take another swipe. Shikamaru groaned as he realized Kankurou was in no shape to even attempt to fight back, and his thought was confirmed as Kankurou fell to his knees, trying to keep the puppet in the air while the man reached out to wipe some of the purple make up from his face. Dodging a rain of kunais from one of Karasu's traps, he cleaned off half of Kankurou's face. "Actually, we might make some money off of you. We won't really know until we get you back to the kennel." Kankurou gritted his teeth, forcing out the last of his chakra to try to land one more hit not on the man tormenting him, but at Shikamaru. "Stop that!" The large man shouted, the smaller man who hadn't moved until now jumped out to protect Shikamaru from the incoming projectile. Taking the hit, the man fell on top of Shikamaru, screaming in pain, until the screams stopped, along with the man's breath.

"Got one." Kankurou smiled, winking at Shikamaru, and passed out. Shikamaru nodded his understanding of why Kankurou appeared to attack him, before loosing consciousness himself.

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**Chapter end notes:** Like I said before, interested in what comes next? REVIEW! It keeps me going!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter notes: Progress... This is what the story is kind of going to be like. This isn't an action fic really. It's just wierd. Anyways, only characters I own are the ones I randomly come up with. Leave reviews!**_

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Shikamaru awoke to a pounding headache, and a pounding sound. Kiba was bouncing off the metallic walls, apparently in an effort to bust out. He wasn't jumping very high, though Shikamaru didn't really care at the moment because of his head.

"Stop it!" Shikamaru held his head, looking around. Neji was in much the same position he was, eyes screwed shut and hands over his ears.

"We have to get out! Who knows what they did to Akamaru?" Kiba sounded distraught, sitting on the ground panting. "And we haven't seen Shino, or Lee, or Naruto, or Kankurou! We don't know where they are, and I hope Akamaru is okay!" Shikamaru swallowed hard, remembering what the man had said about the dog.

"Do you have any idea where we are? And where's my clothes?" Shikamaru asked Neji, pulling on the white clothes covering his form. Both Kiba and Neji had matching white v-neck short sleeves and long comfortable white pants. Neji had cracked an eye open and started to lift his hands from his ears.

"He finally stopped… I don't know, where, our clothes are… And, well, no… not a clue, where, we are. It was so sudden, I was, completely outmatched. It was like, my mind was being drugged." Neji still rubbed his temples. Shikamaru guessed that by his broken speech pattern that Neji was in worse shape than he was.

"They just held a cloth over my face until I passed out." Kiba offered. Shikamaru sighed.

"Doesn't help answer my question. Did they say anything to you?" Shikamaru struggled to remain in an upright position, his head swimming. Neji shook his head.

"Nope, other than 'We mean you no harm!' Really odd." Kiba exclaimed.

"You're being to loud Kiba." Neji gritted out between his teeth. Kiba looked over at him, grinning.

"Sorry." He whispered. Shikamaru was trying to think, but his head still felt off, when the wall beside them began to move up. Kiba was on his feet in an instant, ready to face who ever or what ever came at them. Neji flattened himself to the ground to peer under the wall as it slid upwards.

"It's another room… Filled with random objects…" He furrowed his brow. "Toys, I do believe."

"Why didn't you use your bayakugan earlier?" Shikamaru asked, Neji glared at him.

"I can't. Both Kiba and I can't use chakra. I believe that you cannot also." He said, and Shikamaru checked. He couldn't even focus chakra to any part of his body. Neji stood up as the wall finished it's ascent. "It is, it's filled with, toys… and, beds." Carefully looking about as Kiba tore into the room, peering under tables laden with stuffed animals and board games.

"Akamaru? Akamaru are you here?" He sniffed the air. "I can't smell anything either."

"It's an after effect of the sleeping drug you inhaled. And you two might want to take some of these for the headaches you must be suffering from." The large man from before came in, carrying an irate Kankurou bridal style and holding out some pills all at the same time. "You're friend here had a fractured ankle, his other ankle had to be broken and reset. It has been in the wrong placement for years!" He rested Kankurou onto a bed, the puppet nin still fuming but not making a sound. "Please, pick out any object that you like. It will help with placements." He smiled. Shikamaru and Neji watched him suspiciously, Kiba continued to search for his beloved dog. "He's fine Kiba. We left him behind with the green lad and the orange boy at the village line. They should find their way back to Konoha and continue on with their lives without any lasting effects." He tried to reassure them.

"Other than he won't have me, and I won't have him!" Kiba charged the man, who easily dodged. Kiba hit the wall and sat down, panting, then started to cry.

"You better not have harmed him!"

"Kiba!" Kankurou stood up, hobbling over to Kiba's shaking form. Neji and Shikamaru watched on, slightly horrified at Kiba's lack of composure.

"It is a part of your training. You'll find everyone of you a little bit more emotional now, we are trying to figure out your true personalities. Please, find things that you enjoy, play with them. And swallow these, do you need water?" He walked up to Neji, holding out two pills. Neji took a step back, shaking his head.

"I don't want them. The head ache is starting to go away on it's own." Neji then turned to Shikamaru, silently voicing his concern.

"I agree, my head already feels better than it did. Where's Shino?"

"Great! We were worried that the chakra blocks would make it even harder for your bodies to process out the genjutsu." The man pocketed the pills happily. Neji furrowed his brow further. Shikamaru shrugged. "Now, do any of you have food allergies? Preferences?" He took out a pen and notepad from a pocket, ready to write down their answers.

"Kiba, please stop." Kankurou had Kiba's face buried in his chest, gently petting his head.

"I… I… I can't! I don't know why I just can't!" Kiba stuttered out. Reaching up, Kankurou picked out a plush puppy from the table next to them.

"Happy happy pup-py?" He nudged Kiba's face with it's nose, Kiba latching onto it and hugging it close. Neji and Shikamaru looked on in flat out horror now, wondering what was going on. Kankurou looked up, grinning slightly. "Can you image me trying to calm down Gaara when he was a toddler? This is a whole lot easier." He stood, and Kiba, still hiccupping slightly, managed to find his footing. The man coughed slightly, catching their attention.

"Food allergies? Preferences? Better tell me now, or you might not like your placement."

"What do you mean by placement? And where is Shino?" Neji growled, hair bristling on the back of his neck. He tried to control the anger building in his chest, which was rising faster than usual. "Where the hell are we? What are you planning on doing to us!?"

"Relax… You won't be hurt… Shino is receiving special care to remove the bugs from his system, but that isn't any matter concerning you." He put a hand on Neji's shoulder, and he actually felt the tension release from his chest. "You see, we are a special group that matches up special people with special customers. We had an order for an Aburame for several years now, a man needs another one in order to survive. Shino was our main target, but after seeing how tired and over worked you all were, we decided to also get you into wonderful homes." Neji actually felt warm inside, like butterflies had over ran his stomach. He bit down on his lip, unsure of the alien feelings inside of him.

"You said you were selling us." Shikamaru countered. The man winced as Neji quickly pulled himself away, hurt crossing his face. Kiba stood up, dropping the plushie back onto the table, and went to a table that held art supplies, picking up a sketch pad and began to scratch at it with a pencil.

"Yes, we will be making money from the transaction, but we also really truly want to give you the best placement possible. Happy products make happy clients. We carefully screen every client to make sure they are not just someone looking for a sex toy, or a slave, but who genuinely want companionship. It is a long process, and will be shortened if you would be so kind and, act, naturally." He smiled. "The more items you play with and show an attraction too, the better able we are to place you in a place you will enjoy. And be warned, your emotions will show through more often than you expect." He took a step forward, once again catching Neji's shoulder. "I have high hopes for you." Neji shuddered, holding himself as he felt his insides turn to mush.

"Go away…" Neji managed to work out, walking to a table full of teddy bear plushies. The man bowed, exiting the room as the wall came down to keep them inside. Shikamaru stood there, Kiba calm to the point of being reasonable, and then turned to Neji.

"You okay?" Kankurou noticed Shikamaru's gaze, standing up painfully, and tottered over to the gray eyed nin. "Hey? You alright?" He reached out to touch Neji's shoulder. Neji turned and slapped his hand away.

"Don't coddle me. I'm fine." Neji stepped briskly away from him, Kankurou turning to follow his walk.

"You're crying." Kankurou stated with conviction.

"Am not." Neji snarled, then sniffed. "Don't say anything…" He ended up in a corner, facing the indent where two walls met.

"I just want to help." Kankurou finally made his way over, rubbing Neji's shoulder.

"I don't know why I'm doing this… I've, never done this before. Really, never." Neji refused to turn around, content to stand and let the silent tears flow down his face.

"What about when your father died?" Kankurou asked softly, Neji snorted.

"I was to busy trying to survive to think about his death. You know, it took four days before people noticed that I didn't have a lunch anymore? And yet, no one did anything." Neji snapped his mouth shut, hugging his sides tighter.

"Teddy bear?" Kankurou asked.

"Yeah. Small one, if you would be so kind." Neji responded.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Shikamaru groaned. Everyone looked up at him, startled. "We are Konoha shinobies, Konoha! One of the top five villages! And you, you are one of Suna's elite, brother to the kazekage! And here we are, reduced to crying messes!" He felt the need to sit down and do something, pulling out a game of shogi from the pile of board games. Sitting down and setting it up on instinct, he continued to fume about how troublesome this whole situation was. Shikamaru then played by himself, moving pieces for both sides.

"You're doing it too." Kankurou said quietly, Neji gripping a small teddy bear between his hands. Kiba looked up from the paper and furrowed his brows at Kankurou, as Shikamaru snapped his head up in realization.

"Kiba, do you like to draw during your free time?" Shikamaru asked quickly, spinning himself around on his bottom to face them better. Kiba nodded.

"I used to draw a lot more when I was a kid and had free time. It's actually rather embarrassing. I knew you guys would poke fun at me if I told you."

"Neji, did you have a teddy bear as a kid?" Shikamaru asked.

"Still do. My father gave it to me when he went on his first mission. He said that Taka would protect me from the ninjas under my bed, childish fear really... It had a kunai in it, so if I ever was in real trouble, I would at least have something." Neji admitted, looking at the teddy in his hands thoughtfully.

"How old were you when you first got it?" Shikamaru asked, jumping to his feet.

"One. I still remember the day." Neji sighed.

"I played shogi every day, alone, when I was a kid. It was my way of keeping myself busy when my father was on a mission and my mother was busy with chores. I still fall back on that now too, when I get too tired of people." Shikamaru smiled, feeling better that he was beginning to understand the enemy's 'training'.

"But, what about Kankurou?" Neji asked. "What are you doing that is like what you did as a child, or how you relieve frustration?" Kankurou grinned, banging his left foot on the floor and wincing.

"Tinkering, supporting, and causing myself pain because we don't have the ability to spar right now." Pulling a hand out of his pocket, he showed the group a box. "They let me keep it, since it didn't pose a threat. Temari gave it to me for my birthday. It's a broken puzzle box." He smiled genuinely, fiddling with it with both hands.

"How nice of your sister, giving you a broken gift." Kiba snorted, erasing a line. Kankurou's face continued to soften.

"I rather have something broken to fix than something perfect to break." Kankurou looked at the puzzle box adoringly, still trying to fit the pieces together to get it to open. Shikamaru still looked like he was on the verge of brilliance.

"This is their plan, to break us down, and then probably use it against us to get us to stay in these 'placements' but now that we know what their up to we…" Shikamaru slowed down, sighing, then spun back around to go back to his game.

"This is kind of hopeless, isn't it?" Neji sighed, staring at the teddy's face. Kankurou managed to get over to a bed, laying down on it and playing with the puzzle box.

"Don't talk like that. We'll figure a way out. Besides, Shino's a tough guy. He'll probably get them. He beat me before, remember?" Kankurou tried to brighten Neji's spirits, Kiba nodding his agreement.

"If you guys do figure a way out, will you leave me behind?" Neji asked quietly, Kankurou looking over with great concern.

"What do you mean? If anything, you guys have a better chance of running away than me, Mr. Hobbles." Kankurou tried to joke, nearly upset at the look of fear crossing Neji's face before it went back to an emotionless staring at the toy bear.

"Nothing, really. I run faster than all of you anyways. I don't know why I said that… Don't analyze it to much." Neji shot a look over to Shikamaru, who shrugged and went on with his game.

"Either way, we can't do anything until we get our abilities back, especially you Neji. What ever you do to help return your eyes to top shape, do it, and we all have to focus on keeping our sanities, who knows what they have done to us and what they may do to us." The others nodded their agreement, settling into their habits.

"Neji, can you bring me some of those fabric swatches?" Kankurou put down his box, Shikamaru stifling a chuckle as Neji raised a brow and handed several different baby blankets to him. Kankurou rubbed each one, sighing, and tossed them all back onto their original table.

"You have me carry them over just to reject all of them?" Neji huffed, sitting on a bed, legs crossed, and closed his eyes to meditate, the teddy bear nestled in the hole his legs made at the crossing point.

"Sorry, their all not right for stuffing into my splint." He scratched at the splint under his pant leg, his leg red and irritated.

"Not soft enough? Or just not purple?" Shikamaru couldn't help himself. He didn't know why he couldn't help himself, he just couldn't.

"What do you mean?" Kankurou growled, eyeing the shadow nin. Shikamaru let out a small chuckle.

"Your sister is sneaky too." Shikamaru looked at him in mirth. Kiba, who was sitting and on his tenth page of the sketch pad, finally put it down and leaned forward on his ankles.

"Do tell! What are you keeping from us?" Kiba asked excitedly. Shikamaru chuckled again.

"You dug into my picture pocket, didn't you?" Kankurou chuckled, cutting Shikamaru off. Shikamaru caught the hint, Kankurou was willing to play along and surrender some of his pride, but not all of it. "Temari hid a camera in a purple teddy bear. She was trying to get Gaara and I to line up with her to look at it, when Gaara smelled a rat. He got really close to it's belly button, and she had this victorious look on her face that was so weird I just stared at her when this huge flash went off, I looked at the bear and it flashed again. Temari made me copies, Gaara looked hilarious!" Kankurou was laughing hard, wiping a tear from his eye. Kiba was laughing too, Neji opening his eyes to glare at them. Shikamaru felt that he could leave it at that. "Suna also has the softest of fabrics, I could only guess how Shikamaru knows, but if it has to do in any way with my sister, you will pay." Shikamaru definitely knew that he could leave the rest to himself by that point, and went back to his game.

"Your sister seriously set that all up?! Just for a picture?" Kiba howled with laughter.

"Yep, both Gaara and I hate having our pictures taken."

"Can you three focus your chakra or something? Am I lagging behind?" Neji snapped at them. The three other occupants turned to him, a little surprised. "Well, can you?" They shook their heads, still startled by his anger. "Then maybe you should focus on that rather than your hyjinks. Seriously, if you need my eyes so much, maybe you all could be a little more quiet?"

"Party pooper." Kiba muttered, Kankurou holding in a chuckle with little success.

"He's right though." Shikamaru sighed. "I've gotten no where. I can't get it to stay in any one place for any length of time. It is beyond being untrained, it's being unable to train." Shikamaru flexed his hands, forming seals he learned his first year of school without any response. Kiba sat silent for a moment.

"Same with me. Nothing, nothing at all."

"Triplets." Kankurou sighed, looking over to Neji. "You too?" Neji let out a small breath of what appeared to be relief.

"No, I can get it to stay in one spot for about three seconds. It isn't my usual abilities though, I cannot focus the chakra to that area, it's more like I block it from leaving an area."

"And if you continue, you will be hurt." The large man showed up out of nowhere, seeing as there were no doors or windows. The group jumped, those being able to their feet, the one not falling onto his knees when he tried. "Oh dear, you alright?" He walked over to Kankurou, reaching out to help him to his feet. Kankurou moved away from him, gaining his own footing. They continued to search for a reason for his appearance. "Don't bother, it's one of my abilities. It's diner time soon, what would you like to eat?" He sounded kind.

"Nothing you're serving." Neji replied, sitting back onto the bed. The man frowned, and Neji looked down and away, feeling slightly ashamed. 'Why do I feel like this?' He wondered.

"Please, you have to eat or you will lose body mass. We already put growth stunts on you all during your physical exams, along with the seals to keep you from being able to use chakra." The man sat on the bed next to Neji, but not close enough to touch. "It will mean a lot to me if you would eat." Neji shuddered again, hugging himself.

"I'm alright with anything then." He muttered, then angrily cursed himself for acting this way.

"You sure?" Neji nodded. "That's wonderful. Really, I love the fact that you aren't picky." Neji grinned, then quickly shook his head and furrowed his brow. "Keep doing that and you'll get wrinkles. You look a whole lot cuter when you smile. You look so happy, but right now, you look so… Depressed." Neji felt the urge to throw up, chocking back tears as he jumped to his feet and stood behind Kankurou. Not quite understanding his own actions, he was surprised when Kankurou snarled.

"Stop harassing him. It's like you want to molest him or something." Kankurou picked up the forgotten bear that when Neji jumped had slid it's way over to Kankurou's bed, and put it into Neji's grasp. "We are not eating what you make us, if all you said is true, then who knows what you'll put into the food." Kankurou felt oddly naked before the man, he never did like short sleeves.

"We don't use drugs except for the capturing process. All our training techniques and body modifications are done in a physical sense or a jutsu. All of you will be going under a mind modifying jutsu, once we get a sense of your true personalities. If we were to drug our food, it would only discourage you from eating. We like to use positive reinforcement when we can, and we will with you all once we perform the jutsu, but unfortunately, no one want's an ex-ninja unless they are rendered incapable of harming others." He stood, walking towards the puppet nin, trying to get around him. "Neji, I would like to understand why you are so fearful-" Kankurou stepped in the way and interrupted him.

"Maybe because you have kidnapped us, stripped us naked, and then performed some 'physical exam' that has left us unable to retaliate!" He crossed his arms, spreading his legs to get a firmer stance against the huge man, looking up at a hard angle to try to intimidate him.

"That is not what I am trying to understand. That makes logical sense. I want to know why he is so fearful of being happy." Neji swallowed hard. "When ever he appears to be enjoying himself, he tunes out, and becomes angry. I want to know why, and how I may fix it."

"Do not." Neji croaked out, fighting back tears. The man put a firm hand on Kankurou's shoulder, preventing him from blocking his passage to Neji.

"You're father died, right?" Neji didn't respond as a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders. "Was that the last morning you smiled?" Neji shook, trying not to react. "Was that the last time you felt joy?" Neji exploded.

"Go away! Just go away! I'm not going to start liking, just to have it happen again, GO AWAY!…" Neji tried to slip out of the man's arms, tried to duck out and run away. The man held him tight with both arms, no longer worried that the others would interfere, they were staring at their team mate in shock.

"What will happen again?" The man asked softly in his ear. Neji didn't respond.

"Now you all will leave me behind, won't you?" He looked over to Shikamaru. "You'll abandon me now… Just like…" He shook his head, dependent on the arms that held him up. Shikamaru looked at Kankurou, who shrugged.

"We aren't going to leave you, believe me." Kankurou tried to wiggle between the man and Neji. "I like bland things, nothing spicy. I have stomach ulcers." He tried to pry the man's arms off, shooting a glare at Kiba. Kiba read it.

"Beef. Hamburger and the like." He tossed the look over to Shikamaru.

"Just, don't try to feed me venison…" He said, unsure of what Kankurou was trying to do. "I'll have whatever Kiba has. I've seen Neji eat chicken teriyaki ramen before. I think he would like that." Neji nodded miserably in confirmation. The man, reluctant to let go, finally let Neji fall into Kankurou's arms.

"I'll go tell the cooks. I'm not just going to drop this either, this obviously has effected him adversely. We also have things I believe you would like to discuss in private Kankurou, based on your… Physical exam." Kankurou glared at him, holding Neji protectively.

"Make sure to give us steak knives, 'kay?" He snapped back, cradling Neji's face against his shoulder. The man bowed slightly, disappearing from sight. "Thanks, I had to get him out of here. Neji? Neji look at me." He held Neji by the shoulders until the boy turned his eyes up to him. "Did your father die, or did he abandon you?" Kankurou cut straight to the quick, releasing another torrent of tears. "Neji, tell us. He is using this against you. We need to know what happened so that we can help you protect yourself." Neji swallowed several times, trying to regain composure.

"He… He did both." Kankurou waited patiently. "I… I though that… He was killed by the head family and that he had no choice, but he did! He did!" Neji wanted to go back into Kankurou's hug again, and Kankurou let him lean in a little closer, but far enough to remind him that this wasn't a real therapy session. "At the chunnin exams, my uncle… Gave me his final letter… He said it was the only decision he would ever be able to make in his life, and that he chose to be free…" Kankurou let him fall completely into his chest at that point, tears stinging his own eyes.

"He abandonded you, he chose to protect his brother over raising you." Kankurou shook his head in disgust.

"There were other ways! They, they could have put the seal on Hiashi, they could have… He abandoned me, and Akihiko, he chose death over raising me! Why? Why?" Neji pounded lightly on Kankurou's chest with a soft fist. "Why did they hate me so much as to leave me alone…" Kankurou held him tightly.

"I don't know, I really don't know Neji. Who was Akihiko?" He sat on the bed, Neji sitting more on top of him then next to him.

"I ran out of easy food in the house, after about a month, and began to try to cook meals with what I found in the freezer, he smelled burning flesh. I don't really remember it, but I woke up with him above me, healing my arm as another member of the branch family was fighting off the flames. If he hadn't had smelled… I would have been dead…" Neji hiccupped again, finding his voice. "He was blind, and one of the few Hyuuga's to ever master healing jutsus. I went to live with him after that, the head family didn't know, not that Hiashi cared. He was supposed to raise me, I found out that my father had named Hiashi my guardian when I was about ten and was digging around the library…" Neji buried his head deeper into Kankurou's chest. "It would have been a matter of pride if a branch family member, never mind a disabled one, was raising a child the head of the family was in charge of." Kankurou nodded his understanding.

"Wow… So how'd he d-" Kiba started.

"Shut up! Please, Neji, keep going…" Kankurou pointed a finger at Kiba, silencing him. Neji took a deep breath.

"I lived with him for about a year, but he didn't make me lunches or anything beyond a quick breakfast and a small diner. He just didn't have the money; all he made was from other branch family members who couldn't afford the time off to go to the hospital. They would bring their animals to him because they couldn't afford the vet. He didn't get any compensation from the head family." Neji swallowed again, reminding himself to speak up. "One day, I came home, and he, apologized, for being poor… He killed himself… Right in front of me…" Kankurou cuddled him, pressing his lips to the top of Neji's head, unhindered from any headbands used to hide the branch seal. "No one came looking until the smell of dead flesh was taken by the wind past the head family's home."

"You didn't leave?" Kiba asked, astonished, and silenced once again by a death glare from Kankurou.

"I… Couldn't move. He slashed his throat and all I could do was stand there, and then I held him because he was still crying… It felt like… It was forever before he stopped breathing. And I still held him, I was protected while I had him… I was safe in his house, I wasn't alone…" Neji sat up, wiping the tears off his checks, Kankurou leaning away to allow him to disengage. "It took another three weeks for the family to decide that it was indeed suicide and that I didn't kill him. The other students at school didn't even notice I was gone. But that is all past. I smell food cooking." Kiba sniffed the air again, and grumbled.

"I still cannot smell anything. What you sniffin?" Neji raised a brow.

"I'm sniffin nothing. I am *smelling* food, hot food at that." Neji shot back at him, and turned to watch the same wall as before raise up to a banquet of food on low tables. Neji started to Slowly make his way to keep Kankurou in close proximity, Kiba leading the way as Shikamaru lazily followed, they surveyed the middle table. About the only thing not on any tables was venison, and they didn't recognize half of what was offered. The middle table was set for four. "Chicken teriyaki." Neji sat down at one of the plates preset, spotting two plates of beef and a bowl of rice. The others sat at their respective spots, all poking around their diners a little before Kankurou took a bite, the rest following slowly.

"Tastes alright. I wish Shino was here, he could test this for poisons…" Kiba sighed, finishing his plate and taking a pastry off the table for dessert.

"He can do that too?" Kankurou asked, astonished. Kiba nodded, biting into the pastry. Shikamaru picked at his food, then settled on serving himself a piece of chocolate cake, his mothers' favorite way to keeping weight on him. He surprised himself at how much he actually, missed her. Kankurou finished his rice, spotting a long lollipop at the table behind Kiba. "Think they have other hard candy?" Kiba rummaged around a little, finding a bowl of little candies wrapped in paper. Handing them to Kankurou, Kankurou picked out two before dumping the rest in his pocket. "For later." He grinned.

"You going to have something Neji?" Kiba asked the silent nin. Neji didn't respond, taking another bite of chicken. "Yo, Neji! You want some dessert?"

"I don't have a sweet tooth. Besides, we shouldn't eat any more then what we have to." Neji growled, trying to avoid looking at the dessert area. Kankurou and Shikamaru exchanged knowing looks.

"Hey, enjoy it while you can!" Kiba snatched up a cookie and chomped in, savoring it. "If only Akamaru was here, he would clean up the meat table behind Shikamaru! But he's with Naruto and Lee… They would kick Naruto out once they saw how much he eats!" He tried to joke. Kankurou reached as far as he could behind Kiba, and slid a chocolate bar in front of Neji.

"He's right, give it a try." Kankurou smiled at Neji, who pouted.

"I said, I don't have a sweet tooth isthata…" His eyes widened at the sight of box of pocky. Shikamaru followed his gaze.

"Kiba, pass the pocky." Shikamaru held out his hand, received the box, Kankurou removed the chocolate and the plate, and Shikamaru slid the box in their place. Neji stared at it as if it was a forbidden treasure.

"May I have an orange?" Neji asked, swallowing hard. Kankurou sighed, reaching over to the fruit table behind him, and handed Neji an orange. Neji picked the skin off of the orange, not noticing his teammates staring at him. He bit into the orange, sucking on the juice, then he opened the box. Slowly nibbling a pocky stick, he alternated.

"Have fruit often?" Kankurou asked, Neji didn't pause to answer, instead he just shook a negative. "I love fruit, unfortunately my ulcers don't. Only when I'm completely unstressed can I have fruit."

"You have fruit in Suna?" Kiba asked, surprised.

"A little. Temari brings it home for me." He grinned.

"It's too expensive for me to buy." Neji finished the orange, offering the other people at the table some pocky. They refused, seeing as how he enjoyed it so much. "Pocky is also… Too expensive for me to buy." Shikamaru looked at him, furrowing his brow.

"What do you eat?" Kankurou asked, fishing another candy from his pocket. Neji finished the stick before he answered.

"I catch fish, raise some veggies, and buy ramen for carbohydrates. I also really like the trail rations we get for free on missions, I purposely eat half of what is expected, and 'return' all of Lee and Tenten's uneaten ones, straight to my pantry." He chuckled a little, then stopped suddenly as the others where about to relax and join him. "It's not stealing though, really, they don't expect the extra's back…" His face returned to being unemotional, closing the box he returned it to the table.

"I HATE trail rations. I think that I'll be giving them to you afterwards for now on." Kiba smiled at Neji, Neji almost smiled back.

"You have a nasty habit of popping up out of nowhere." Shikamaru stated casually as the group turned to look where he was gazing. The man smiled.

"I told you, it's one of my abilities. It's time for bed, the bathroom is through the door you'll see. There are tooth brushes, mouth wash, and floss. Please use all of them. Neji, feel free to bring the pocky with you, just make sure you care for your teeth before you go to sleep." He ushered them back into the main room, the wall closing behind them. "Would anyone like a hug good night?" He asked, the group turning to give him a series of death glares. Kankurou made his way to the door, Shikamaru and Kiba on his heels.

"There are multiple toilets and sinks guys." He threw over his shoulder, the group heading in. Neji lagged behind, holding the pocky in one hand.

"Would you like a hug, Neji?" The man asked, Neji stopping in his steps. He didn't turn around.

"I shouldn't… I really don't want to…" The man came up behind him, giving him a good squeeze before stepping back, to find Neji following his movement. Returning his arms around the boy's shoulders, Neji wrapped his arms about his waist, turning his body around to bury his face into the man's chest. Neji released after a good long breath, the man letting go to let him take a step back.

"Thank you, Neji. I'm really proud of the progress we made today." He smiled, Neji almost smiling back before Kankurou poked his head out of the door.

"Are we allowed to take showers? And if so, where are they?" He eyed Neji standing with the man, curious.

"Showers are in the morning. Good night, Kankurou." He gave a little wave, a wink to Neji, and disappeared.

"What was that?" Kankurou asked, Neji quickly moving into the bathroom.

"Strategy. He trusts that I'm falling for his trick." Kankurou couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or lying, he hoped for the former.

* * *

_**Chapter end notes: Once again, leave reviews! I haven't been able to work on my other story at all, but I guess no one minds because I haven''t gotten any new reviews on that one. Thank you!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thanks a bunch for the reviews! I hope you are liking the story so far! Keep reading! And enjoy the chappie!**_

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The lights came on all the way, waking the group gently. Neji sat up and stretched, touching his feet to the floor and stood. His back had never felt this good before, and he started to walk to where the door to the living room was supposed to be. When he walked into a similarly half asleep puppet nin, he startled himself into opening his eyes and suppressed a what could have been a squeak of surprise.

"Morning." Kankurou groaned, rubbing his eyes, letting out a chuckle. "Felt like we were back at our homes, didn't it?" Kiba and Shikamaru were spared the embarrassment that burned Neji's cheeks. The man was waiting for them, standing by the bathroom door.

"Good morning boys! Awake enough to take some instruction yet?" Only the two who bumped into each other nodded their heads, Shikamaru busy scratching at the back of his head, sitting in bed and Kiba was bent over stretching his lower back. "Well then, I'll tell you two. There are four separate showers, though no curtains, sorry. You'll be able to tell which one belongs to who on what is in there, but I might as well tell you to avoid mistakes. The first one is Neji's, it has specialty shampoo for long hair and a fruit scented conditioner." Neji scowled at the man, but he continued. "Kankurou, yours is next to his. It has a facial scrub in there, and a body exfoliate soap, please use both. We're going to try to lessen the appearance of your scars." Kankurou rolled him eyes, testing if he could flex his chakra. He turned to Neji, who shook his head in a negative manner, already knowing what Kankurou was up to, mouthing an 'I can't either'. "Kiba, you are in the next one over, look up at me please." Kiba finally stood upright, glaring at the man. "Yours has exfoliate soap also, you have a lot of dry skin that we would like to treat." Kiba nodded his previous knowledge of his skin's condition. "And lastly, Shikamaru, thank you for joining us, you are in the last shower. You also have a specialty shampoo, but we have a different conditioner for you to use. Enjoy, take as long as you like, there are clothes and towels in the cabinet. Breakfast will be ready when you come out, today is a big day!" The man grinned, blinking out of existence.

"Remind you of someone? At least slightly?" Kiba grinned at Neji, who was marching into the bathroom to see another wall gone and a row of four showers in it's place.

"Very slightly, if he was to be like Gai he would have woken us up three hours ago with something along the lines of 'Let your YOUTHFUL shine in this SPRINGTIME of Youth' or something that makes just about the same amount of sense…" Neji waved his hand, letting his voice hit different pitches that caused Kiba to fall into a laughing fit. Kankurou and Shikamaru laughed too, more out of surprise that Neji was actually being, rather, silly. "Mmmm… Fruity." Neji took a whiff of his conditioner before stepping back out of the showers and going into the cabinet for towels. "I need two, but it doesn't appear that we have to worry about quantity, nor about clothes sizes." He pulled out two towels off a tall stack, pointing to the labeled shelves that held sets of clothing.

"Handy, I wouldn't want to try to put on something Shikamaru sized." Kankurou laughed. "I wouldn't be able to fit a leg in it." He pulled out a towel, both Kiba and Shikamaru felt the need for only one each also. "No one's ashamed of being seen naked, right?" The silent stripping answered him well enough. Kankurou shrugged, watching as Shikamaru quickly went down to his shower, turning on the water and started working on his hair. Kiba soon followed, Neji in next, before he took off his clothes.

"What took you so long?" Kiba reached over and slapped his shoulder. Kankurou stood in the middle of the spray, eyes closed.

"You know the one thing I love about Konoha, other than your kunoichis?" Kankurou smiled. Kiba shrugged. "Water. Plenty of water, no bucket showers where you soap up before you begin to let the water drizzle to wash it out." Kankurou washed his hair, then tried out the soap. "Ninja's are supposed to have scars, does he really think that they'll be able to make these less noticeable?" Kankurou muttered, working up a lather over his arms. Neji looked over at Kankurou's back.

"Ninja's are supposed to have scars, but… What are those from?" He asked, staring at Kankurou's shoulders especially. Kankurou abruptly turned off the water, wrapping the towel around his waist and marching back to the sinks.

"Senbons. Really uncomfortable senbons, care of some mist shinobi." Kankurou quickly dried off and dressed, shirt first.

"Those looked like bites to me… Human bites." Neji sounded worried.

"Like I said, really uncomfortable senbons. He had them in his mouth." He put a hand up to his mouth and dangled his fingers downwards. "They got infected too." Kiba's eyes widened.

"In his mouth?! How did he not hurt himself in the process of stabbing you?" Kiba dried off, shaking his head to remove most of the water in his hair. Kankurou replied with a shrug.

"I'm gonna go see what this big breakfast is. I wonder if it will be like anything from last night." Stepping out of the room, he found the wall opened once again to a banquet of fruit, cereal, toast, pancakes, everything he could think of that was related to breakfast and then some. A new box of pocky, and more hard candies. "Neji, they have pocky and fruit! And yogurt!" He poured some out into a bowl, tossed in a few grapes, adding some cereal with dried fruit, and dug in.1

"That, is rather disgusting." Kiba stared at him, wearing fresh clothes. He took some plainer cereal and milk, choosing a rather dripping buttered toast from the bottom of the pile.

"And that isn't?" Kankurou eyed his teammates' choice of breakfast. Kiba didn't answer him, content to eat. Shikamaru joined them, sighing at the choices. He didn't really feel like eating, but some eggs on the side of the table got his attention. They weren't cold yet either, so he spooned some onto a plate.

"Neji, you done primping yet?" Kankurou called out to the bathroom.

"I have more hair then you all combined, deal with it! What should we do with our dirty clothes?" Neji had piled them up in a corner, combing out his hair.

"Leave it, we're not guests, we're prisoners, remember?" Kiba shouted at him.

"No, we're products, remember?" Shikamaru grumbled.

"Wonder what that means…" Kiba sat, chin in hand before he found some pastries to dig into.

"Well, I'm part of the hair stylist line, all the rage with the younger girls." Neji came out, grinning. Kiba snorted. "Shikamaru is the interactive game type of product line, though he's for more advanced customers." He put one hand on his hip and hovered the other above Shikamaru's head, earning a harder laugh from Kiba and a slight chuckle from Kankurou. "This here is a rather rugged model line, the mutt." Kiba couldn't help but keep laughing as Neji posed next to him, sticking a hip out femininely. "And last but certainly not least! This one here is a specialty order, the giant teddy bear!" Neji struck the same pose, holding his hand above Kankurou's head this time, Kankurou taking a swipe at Neji's leg half heartedly as Shikamaru joined in laughing. Neji jumped out of the way to sit and stole an apple, a banana, and an orange from the table. He bit into the apple as he peeled the orange.

"Where did this funny Neji come from?" Kiba laughed, sitting back upright. Neji shrugged, still focused on eating an apple with no hands and peeling the orange all at the same time.2

"No, really. You've never acted like this before." Shikamaru pried a little. Neji sighed, letting the half eaten apple drop.

"I used to joke around all the time with my father, in our house. And with Akihiko, I used to make him laugh. Never in public though, or with others. I guess I'm relearning how to have fun." Neji grinned, shoving a piece of orange into his mouth. "I think that maybe this whole 'bare emotions' thing might be actually good for me." Kiba nodded.

"I like this new Neji!"

"I would too, if it wasn't for the circumstances." Shikamaru looked over to Kankurou, who nodded his agreement. "They have done something to all of our heads, and supposedly our bodies, that is changing us from ninja to…" Shikamaru searched for the word.

"Children. We're reverting." Kankurou looked at his empty bowl before giving in to the urge to have more. "This might be good, but all at the same time, it's wrong. I wonder how Shino is handling all this."

"As well as could be expected." The man had appeared directly behind Kankurou, who just about jumped out of his skin.

"You seriously have to stop doing that!" Kankurou's hands fisted, ready to punch the man.

"Shino is fine. Resting quite well actually! All his bugs have been removed and he is in the healing model of his training." The man smiled at Kankurou. "Show me your back. I want to see if the soap worked." Kankurou refused to sit down, and glared at the man.

"I'm getting really fed up with how you are treating us." Kankurou growled.

"Like princes?" The man asked, confused.

"Yes! We are prisoners, aren't you supposed to be, torturing us for information or something? Really, what kind of place is this?" Kankurou leaned heavily onto his right foot, the man stepping forward to stop him.

"Don't hurt yourself like that! I knew you were self destructive, but to wish physical torture onto yourself raises some more issues that… Will have to be taken into account…" The man took several strikes to the chest without flinching, Kankurou venting his frustration.

"I rather have my nails ripped out then this mental, thing, you did!" Kankurou stopped trying to fight, instead opting to glare up at the man.

"Well, since you're going to be the least easily frightened out of this group, you'll go through the next module of training next." The man began to pull Kankurou into his embrace. "Do you three want to watch the after effects? To know what to expect?" The others were on their feet, trying to work their chakra to help defend their teammate.

"Let him go, you're not going to do anything to him!" Kiba snarled, leaping over the table. The man put out a hand and caught Kiba in midair, softly resting him on the ground.

"I'll have the one way glass on that side, if you want to see the after effects and listen to the recovery room, go sit over there. It will be quiet in case others do not wish to know what will happen. Believe me, this is for the best." The man tucked Kankurou closer, Shikamaru and Neji not having opportunity to react, nor any skills available, to stop him from blinking out of existence. Neji raced to the spot he was standing, worry etched in his face.

"What do we do?" Kiba turned to Shikamaru, Neji spinning around to give Shikamaru a pleading look, eyes begging him to come up with a brilliant plan. Shikamaru stared at the spot next to Neji's foot, almost hyperventilating.

"The only thing we can do is… Gather information, and try to break these chakra blocks, and… Hope…" Shikamaru started for the side of the room on the opposite side of the sleeping room, finding the wall gone and a glass panel in its place.

"Hope for what?" Kiba asked, Neji following Shikamaru with a solemn look on his face.

"That someone finds us and rescues us." Neji answered, picking up a small teddy bear from the table on his way by.

"And that whatever happens can be undone." Shikamaru lifted his shogi game from the floor, moving it next to the glass, setting up another game. Kiba swallowed hard, fighting back tears as he took up a sketch book and took a seat next to Shikamaru. "I think that it's safe to say that I'm no longer the leader, and I'm not just trying to shirk my responsibilities." Shikamaru sighed, trying to focus on the game.

"It's not your fault. If we weren't defeated… We were all outmatched, with no jounin or medic nins… Out numbered." Neji began to come up with excuses.

"Doesn't matter. It was poor planning, poor strategy." Shikamaru shook his head, looking up into the empty room. "And we all are going to pay for it unless someone finds us."

…

The group sat at attention as Kankurou warily made his way into the room, looking lost and confused. The large man was helping him along, Kankurou wincing at every step he took. Kankurou was no longer in the white clothes he wore earlier, instead a dark kimono that ended at his ankles and had a full sleeve to the wrist.

"Sit down now, you're going to be in here for a while alone, are you okay with that or do you want me to have a guard stay with you?" The man asked, the group on the other side of the glass leaning forward to hear him. He was speaking softly, Kankurou looking up with a distant look in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine. I don't want to be a bother to you." Kankurou smiled.

"Please let him be faking." Kiba begged, then shouted. "KANKUROU! What's wrong with you?!" No reaction other than Neji wincing.

"He can't hear you, the speaker comes in to us but there is no way to communicate back to him." Neji pointed to a screen on the wall that the sound was coming out of.

"Very good Puppet. I'll have a friend for you as soon as I can, okay?" The man smiled, patting Kankurou's head.

"Puppet?" Kiba asked. "What an insult!" Kankurou's smile broadened.

"That sounds great!" Kankurou settled himself a little more, the man exiting through a door. Kankurou sat there, staring at the glass, not seeing the three distraught boys on the other side.

"He has to be faking. He is an actor, right? It's all about his puppet user thing…" Kiba turned to Shikamaru.

"Stop looking to me for answers, I don't have them!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "He could be acting, but I would think he would drop the act after the man leaves the room. Besides, he isn't acting to differently. This can't be too bad…"

"He should have tried to kill the man for calling him puppet, but he's acting like one so… Yeah, he's acting." Kiba nodded his head, confident.

"Neji, will you come with me?" The man was behind them, two of the three turning around fearfully. Neji backed away from the man, pressing his back against the glass. The glass distorted a little, catching Kankurou's attention on the other side. "Stop that or he'll panic…" Neji leaned forward again, off the glass. Kankurou's eyes widened as he started to stand, calling out. A guard entered the room, calming Kankurou down. "Now Neji, you've been doing the best out of this group, please trust me. You'll like this, really. Just trust me…" Neji stepped into his grasp.

"I hope you're right, Kiba. I'll do the expected if you are." He smiled at Shikamaru, shaking a little before he disappeared with the man.

"Why would he panic?" Shikamaru wondered, trying not to think about what was going to happen to his other teammate. "I wonder." Shikamaru tapped the glass when the guard exited the room, causing Kankurou to jump. Slowly tapping out a message in a common code used between Konoha and Suna, Kankurou only looked more and more freaked out. He began to murmur something as he pressed himself against the opposing wall.

"What's he saying?" Kiba asked as Shikamaru hushed him, Kankurou murmuring something louder and louder.

"It's a pipe, it's only a pipe, a very old pipe that is going to be replaced. It's only a pipe, it's a pipe… Easily explainable, a pipe…" Kankurou was raising his voice to a panicked pitch. Shikamaru stopped, looking in at him.

"He doesn't understand…" Shikamaru sighed, saddened. "He doesn't understand at all, he's afraid of the noise we're making." He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. He's not afraid of anything like this. He's an explorer type, like you and Naruto…" Kiba didn't respond, but the sound of his pencil going to work on the paper was answer enough for Shikamaru.

…

"Puppet, meet Yumi!" The man lead a very sleepy looking Neji into the room. As with Kankurou, he had clothes differing from before, a lavender kimono that ended at mid calf and had sleeves that went out beyond his hands. Neji rubbed the sleeve against his eye as he shuffled his feet closer and closer to Kankurou, before leaping up into the large man's arms fearfully squeaking.

"NINJA!" He hid his face into the man's neck. Kankurou raised a brow.

"No no no Yumi, this is Puppet, he is like you. There are no ninjas here. He's going to be your friend." Neji peeked from under his hair down at Kankurou, before smiling and jumping down. Scampering over to Kankurou, he hugged him and snuggled into his lap. "Puppet, I understand that the old pipe on the other side of this wall has been making some odd noises…" Kankurou nodded his head.

"Nothing I couldn't handle though. Just got me a little, you know…" He grinned.

"Ninja?" Neji asked, his voice high pitched and childlike. The two on the other side of the glass sat in stunned silence.

"He'll go back to normal, if he can, once the guy leaves." Shikamaru said softly to Kiba. Kiba nodded his head.

"No ninjas. Just a pipe, that's all. Easily explainable." Kankurou smiled at Neji, Neji grinning back with a giggle before falling asleep.

"You good here with him? He's easily frightened Puppet, you'll have to be strong for him." The man knelt down and rested a hand on Kankurou's shoulder. Kankurou nodded.

"I'll keep watch over him. You don't have to worry about us." The man smiled.

"I'm so proud of you Puppet. Yumi is very, very special. We have to take great care with him, and I know you can handle the task." Kankurou's smile broadened again as he looked down at the slumbering boy in his arms. "I have to go now; I'll be bringing another friend in for you in a while, okay? Just call out to the guard outside if you need anything." Kankurou nodded his head, face going serious as he set about the task of watching Neji sleep. The man walked out the door.

"Okay, go back to normal Neji, come on, don't leave us hanging!" Kiba watched the sleeping boy intently. "I wonder if he's going to be an asshole and let us squirm." Shikamaru didn't respond, and after a moment, he went back to his game. "C'mon Neji! Please, Neji!" He hit the glass hard, causing the three others to jump.

"Ninja!" Neji cried out, curling up into a tight ball holding Kankurou's neck to his face.

"It's just the pipe! The old pipe…" Kankurou reassured both himself and Neji, holding Neji close.

"I am a ninja! I'm not a pipe! What's wrong with you?" Kiba went to punch the glass again when a hand firmly gripped his wrist.

"Now that's enough, it's time for you to come with me Kiba." Kiba shook his head, trying to pull away, jerking his arm hard to try to break the man's grip. Shikamaru watched on.

"Take me instead." Shikamaru stood, volunteering. The man shook his head.

"Kiba is getting to unstable, but if you don't want to be left alone, I could have a guard join you in here until it is your turn."

"Shikamaru!" Kiba was wrapped up in the man's arms. "I don't want to change! What if they make me forget Akamaru?" Kiba's tears finally fell.

"Kiba…" Shikamaru wrenched from his throat, trying to come up with anything to get Kiba to stop fighting, it was to painful to watch him fail. "He's dead. I heard him say that they would have to kill him… I'm so sorry… But, maybe it will make it easier to go… I never wanted this to happen. Please believe me when I say this, I never wanted-" Kiba stopped all movement, staring Shikamaru in the eye.

"No… no, you're lying! You're lying you bastard! Akamaru's alive! He's fine, right, you said so!" Kiba's temper flared at Shikamaru, though he looked up at the man expectantly. Instead of answering, the man quickly removed both of them in a blink of an eye. Shikamaru's knees went out from under him, and he broke down, sobbing into his hands.

"I can't believe I just did that…" Shikamaru whimpered to himself. "I can't…" A soft footstep alerted him to another being in the room, but he didn't look up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I failed you all…" A soft hand rested on his shoulder. "Why was I named leader? I'm no leader…"

"Hey… Play you." A deep voice sounded in his ear, Shikamaru sitting back on his rump as the guard pulled the game closer, resetting it. Together they played, Shikamaru's response time longer then his usual, until he heard the door open on the other side of the glass. Quickly going to look inside, he pressed his hands to the glass, ready to watch Kiba sob and cry in his grief of losing his beloved Akamaru.

"Puppet, Yumi, this is Neko! Neko, these are you're new friends." The man nudged Kiba a little further into the room. Shikamaru took notice that Kiba was wearing a kimono with short sleeves and a mid calf length, and that the boy was smiling. Smiling, smiling so huge Shikamaru wondered vaguely if it hurt. Neji opened his eyes, standing up.

"Friend?" He asked Kiba. Kiba nodded his head.

"I your friend!" Kiba responded. They hugged enthusiastically. Kankurou sat at the ground, waiting patiently. Neji broke the hug first, gripping Kiba's hand and pointing to Kankurou.

"Puppet!" Neji exclaimed before both tackle hugged him, Kankurou laughing as he wrapped an arm around each.

"So you three will be good here while I go get your other friend, yes?" The man asked, Kiba and Neji to busy trying to tickle Kankurou to answer. Kankurou was trying half heartedly to defend himself, giving the man a nod before going for the other two's ticklish sides with a vengeance, pinning both to the floor. The man smiled at them, exiting the room through the door. Shikamaru tapped his head against the glass, the group failing to notice the quiet sound because of their loud laughter.

"Doesn't this seem nice Shikamaru?" The man was behind him, the guard putting the game away. "Don't you want to be in with them? To be happy for no reason other than that you're happy?" Shikamaru continued to stare, before pushing away and getting to his feet.

"It isn't like I have much choice, do I?" Shikamaru looked at his feet. "May I request one thing?" The man waited. "Don't give me a cutesy name." The man chuckled.

"What would you prefer? It can't be like your name, or like any one you know, and we do have an updated list of shinobi's from Konoha and Suna." Shikamaru sighed, watching as the guard settled the game back on the game table.

"Shogi."

…

"Puppet, Yumi, Neko, I want you to meet your new friend!" The three napping boys turned their attention to the large man friend and a boy with a pony tail wearing an ankle length dark green kimono. "This is Shogi, Shogi, this is Neko, Yumi, and Puppet. You are going to be working together for now on." The three grinned at Shogi, who sighed and waved back at them before he was tackled to the ground by two of his new friends.

* * *

_**Some things based of true experience!**_

_**1. I ran out of milk. I usually have cereal and milk, or cut up fresh fruit with yogurt if I have one of those two meal choices. I combined the cereal, yogurt, and fruit one day because I ran out of milk and didn't want to try to get the cereal back into the box. Tasted really good actually. I think I'll go have some now…**_

_**2. I was really really hungry and bored. I wanted my apple, my friend has no nails, and she wanted her orange. So I managed to eat the apple while peeling her orange, all at the same time. I'm considered a legend at my previous high school, not only for that but my undefeated (except for Brian damn him! Actually he's a cool dude.) win streak at every card game save gambling games.**_

_**Enough with fun rere facts. Please review!**_

_**Chapter end notes: Remember, reviews are like caffeine to me! Loves! 3**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter notes: Another chappie. Some fluffyness- there will be more as time goes on. OOC WARNING if you have read the previous chapters then you should already know what is going on. Read with the knowledge that I want you to review/comment/say hi at the end! Prepare yourselves...**_

* * *

"Good job Yumi, not a single drop spilled." The man smiled at his little prodigy, who grinned back and put the tea pot down to clap his hands.

"He never spills a drop." Puppet smiled too, practicing his pouring technique. "Are all tea cups this small?"

"Well, no, but it is good practice. You are on an even level with both Shogi and Neko." The man sipped the cup of tea poured for him by Yumi. "Don't beat yourself up about it Puppet." Puppet sighed, stretching his bunched up back muscles. Yumi danced around, ending up behind Puppet, and wrapped his arms around Puppet's broader shoulders. Leaning delicately over one, he put his smaller hand over Puppets, guiding him slowly to the teapot. Pushing Puppet's fingers, he got the larger boy to grip the handle, and started to guide him in pouring, ending the feat with the return of the teapot to it's proper place. Jumping back, Yumi clapped his hands and laughed.

"So that's how you do it…" Puppet turned to Yumi, grinning. "Thank you." A crash alerted them that something was happening in the other room. The large man quickly strode into the now death silent room.

"Shogi beat you again, didn't he Neko?" Neko sat on the opposite side of a shogi board with his arms crossed and an irritated look on his face as Shogi grinned lazily at him, sighing, and then went to pick up the piece that had sealed Neko's doom. The man stood with his hands on his hips, disapproval evident on his features.

"Shogi too good. Not fair!" Neko looked down, slightly ashamed. Shogi shrugged, returning the piece and resetting the game.

"But, who is always begging you to draw him pictures, hmm?" Puppet rubbed Neko's back. "And that is no way to express frustration, you know that." Neko smiled.

"I sorry Shogi. You want picture?" Neko picked up his sketch pad, fingers curling around a colored pencil. Shogi smiled at him, nodding, and turned the board to face the large man.

"Well Shogi, I really do not have the time now to do this. We have a very important thing coming up, and I have to make final arrangements." Shogi slowly let his head fall to the side, brows furrowed. "Puppet, will you verse Shogi while I get the paper work done?" Puppet sat down in front of the board, Yumi settling next to him to watch.

"Placements?" The only way that this was a question was the fact that Shogi's head was tilted to the side. The three others turned to face the man, excitement etched in their faces. The man paused, before breaking out into a smile.

"Placements, seriously?! We're getting placed?" Puppet asked, eyes wide. Yumi gripped his arm, squeaking with excitement.

"Well, we are showing you off to a perspective customer. You will be traveling with one who already is being placed with this client, but I also feel that two of you may be staying with him also. He's a sweetheart, a truly wonderful person, and I hope that he will take interest in you all." The man smiled at Yumi, who squealed and hugged Neko in his excitement.

"Who is the person being placed with him? Is he a single, or a team?" Puppet asked, Shogi losing interest and tried to start the game.

"He's a single. He hasn't had the training you have, and, well, he's a little… Off. He's not going to be with you though if two of you are placed in the same household. He's more along the lines of a servant, not a pet." The man put a hand on his chin, choosing his words carefully.

"Lonely…" Yumi looked like he was about to cry, rubbing the green curse seal on his forehead for no apparent reason.

"No, he'll have company once he gets there, but for now yes, he is very lonely. The sooner I get the paper work done, the sooner he and we can go to his placement." Yumi jumped up, pushing him out the door. The man chuckled as Yumi's feet slipped, making it look like he was running along.

"Quick!" Yumi ordered him, pointing to the door with a childish pout on his face.

"Only because you demand it Yumi. You're so cute!" Yumi blushed and giggled, realizing that he was about to be left alone, he charged back into the room and hugged Puppet about the neck.

"Hey Yumi, you think this is a good move?" Puppet moved a piece forward, keeping his finger on it so as to not signal the end of his turn. Yumi furrowed his brows before nodding. "I thought so too." Puppet let his finger raise, and Shogi annihilated the piece, winning the game. "And we are both wrong. Play again Shogi?" Shogi was already resetting the game.

…

"So, you are going to be two to a car. We won't stop until we are at this boy's placement." The man pointed to the lead car, the three of the four boys turning to look. The cars were connected to each other to a total of three, the boy with the placement in the first car, and they would reside in the other two. Oxen bellowed at the lead, causing Neko to clutch at Shogi's sleeve, and then one of the guards dogs came up. "Get the animal out of here." The man pulled Neko into an embrace, but it was too late, Neko had seen it and started screaming in fear. The oxen began to panic, the guards leading them holding onto their nose rings to keep them in place. The dog barked at Neko, suspicious of the screaming boy.

"Go away!" Puppet marched towards the animal, Neko climbing up onto the large man's shoulders to get further away from the dog. The dog bristled at Puppet, snarling. "I'm not scared of you. Now get!" Puppet's foot made contact with the ground in front of the dog, stirring up a dust cloud that made the dog sneeze.

"Where's that animals' handler?" The man shouted angrily, Yumi now clutching at the unfazed Shogi's sleeve. A sheepish looking man ran up and caught the dog's collar, dragging the poor thing away.

"Hate dogs. Hate dogs hate dogs!" Neko slowly slid his way down the towering man's body until his feet hit the ground. Yumi hugged Puppet when he returned to the group, beaming at the taller boy.

"Kiba?" Shogi turned to a muffled sound coming from the first car, looking at it with slight interest. "Kiba!" The voice sounded again, more urgent.

"Let's pick out our partners now, two per car!" The man began to push Shogi and Yumi to the middle car, Yumi squeaking at him and attaching himself to Puppet's arm. Puppet smiled.

"I'll be Yumi's partner. Neko and Shogi are closer to each other anyways." Puppet allowed himself to be lead to the middle car, the man sighing. He opened the door, Neko charging into the car with enthusiasm. Shogi hung back a little, eyes still raking up and down the first car.

"It's okay Shogi. He's troubled, but he can't hurt anyone." The man put a hand on Shogi's shoulder, leading him to the last car. Shogi let it go with a shrug, setting up a game of shogi with the old chipped board to play by himself as Neko put on the finishing touches to a portrait of Shogi with deer antlers. Though Shogi had once taken the effort to tell Neko 'deer,' Neko couldn't bring himself to draw one. He didn't like drawing most animals. Cats on the other hand, he would draw all day.

…

The two day ride was anything but smooth, Yumi constantly attached to Puppet's back as Puppet tried to comfort him. Every knock and stop in movement sent Yumi into a near panic attack. The cars stopped again.

"Ninja?" Yumi asked Puppet, arms around Puppet's waist as he knelt on a bed Puppet sat on the edge of. Puppet shook his head no, though he nearly jumped out of his skin as the door to their car opened. "NINJA!" Yumi squeaked, squeezing the air out of Puppet's lungs.

"Easy, easy, I'm not a ninja. I'm just letting you two know that we've made it to the Aburame's placement. We'll be here a while. The boss will be back to get one of you as soon as he thinks the master is ready to view you. Okay?" A guard popped his head in, smiling. Puppet nodded, petting Yumi's hands.

"Thank you for the update. We'll be here." Puppet smiled at the guard as he shut the door, then began to try to free himself from Yumi's grip. "We're safe Yumi. We don't have to worry about ninjas. We're at the Aburame's placement, which means that it might be our placement too. We have to be ready, right? Your hair's a mess." Puppet searched Yumi's suit case and found a comb, starting at the ends to untangle it. "And we should change, these clothes are all wrinkled." Yumi sat, grinning ear to ear as Puppet primped him, finding a butterfly covered kimono for Yumi to wear that wasn't wrinkled after their trip. Finding a simple black one for himself, he turned around to change. Yumi didn't bother, striping down with no shame to Puppet's back, then redressed himself. "Decent?" Puppet asked, and feeling Yumi tugging on his kimono, straightening it was answer enough to turn around. Both set about straightening each other's clothes, Puppet smoothing out Yumi's hair again. They heard a knock on the car behind them.

"Shogi, it's time." They heard the large man's foot steps outside their door, and Puppet wished that there were windows so that he could wave. Yumi sighed, looking sad, when the door opened. "Can Neko stay here with you?" Neko jumped up into the car, wrapping himself about Yumi and Puppet. Shoji stood outside, looking longingly as he could at Neko while still appearing rather uninterested. Puppet smiled, nodding his head.

"Good luck Shoji!" Shoji snorted slightly, looking away from the group and towards the front door of the huge mansion. "I know you'll do well!" Shoji shuffled his feet behind the larger man, every so often casting a look over his shoulder to the car he left behind.

"Please stop that Shoji. I know you don't have much enthusiasm for anything, but please try to make a good impression on the master of the household." The large man stopped and waited at the door for Shoji to catch up, putting a reassuring hand on his back. "He's really nice. Trust me." Shoji took a deep breath as the doors opened, revealing a large entry hall. A guard waited patiently for them, showing them another even larger viewing room. Several guards stood in strategic placement in the room, not paying particular attention to the new occupants. At the far end a very old man sat in a tall chair, watching their approach with great interest, a twenty-something man beside him checking things off on a clip board. "Master Hiroko, Kanaye. This, is Shoji." The large man bowed to the master in the chair, the younger Kanaye raked his gaze over Shoji. Shoji stood still, refusing to bow.

"He's rather obstinate, isn't he?" Kanaye snorted, looking back down to his paper work.

"If you didn't eye him like a piece of meat, then maybe he wouldn't act like one. Come here child, my eye sight isn't too good." Hiroko waved Shoji forward, Shoji sighing before walking up to the chair, letting Hiroko take a hold of his hand. "What do you like to do, Shoji?"

"He enjoys sitting around, relaxing, and playing shoji. He is a master shoji player. Nothing really bothers him, a very calm boy of good breeding." The large man beamed, patting Shoji's head. Shoji rolled his eyes.

"And he doesn't like being patted on the head." Hiroko chuckled. The large man choked a little.

"Well, he isn't into pampering, or anything, well, cute… He's more of a… Manly accessory." He stumbled for words, earning a snort from Shoji. Hiroko broke out laughing.

"At least he has a sense of humor! Kazume, what do you think of him?" A small boy poked his head from around the chair, dark eyes piercing Shoji, before he broke out into an uncontrollable smile and exclaimed.

"I can't wait to play you in shoji! I'm going to be the best guard this place has, so you will help with my training!" His high pitched voice was filled with enthusiasm.

"Then it is decided." Hiroko chuckled.

"Grandfather, we already have a new member of the household, and four pets. Do we really need another?" Kanaye asked, showing an obvious dislike of Shoji. Shoji ignored him, he wasn't worth his time. This attitude only appeared to make Kanaye hate him more.

"He's a perfect addition to our family! Maybe he can teach you some things about patience." Hiroko rested a hand on Kanaye's arm, still grinning. "Welcome Shoji, I look forward to learning more about you."

"He doesn't speak much, eats almost anything, though he favors cake. He doesn't eat much, the easiest way to keep weight on him is by feeding him high calorie foods. Other than that, he's easy to keep, and doesn't cost much in the ways of care. He's easily entertained, as long as he has a shoji board, he plays by himself if there is no one around or if no one wants to play." The large man began to run down his list of attributes.

"Yes yes! Oh he is so wonderful! You've already sold him to me, actually, he sold himself!" Hiroko waved to him. "Stand here little one, I'll have to show you around after I see your friend." The large man bowed, exiting, as Shoji stared at the tiled floor. Hiroko invited Kazume to sit in his lap, telling him of his new responsibilities now that there was another being in the family. "We'll have to think of bed placements, you of course get the side since you are in charge of protecting them. Oh, he's back already!"

"Neko." Shoji looked up as Kazume took his place protecting the master's back. The large man walked in, turning around to his charge, and gently tugged him in. Yumi stared up at Shoji with large eyes, breaking into a grin at the familiar face. Shoji sighed, turning his face away. "Neko…" Hiroko turned his gaze to Shoji for a moment, before turning to drink in the sight before him.

"Before you say anything, Neko is simply breathtaking." Hiroko smiled. The large man stuttered again, putting an arm around Yumi as Yumi tilted his head to the side.

"Yumi." Yumi stated flatly, brow furrowing. Hiroko raised a brow.

"Yes, beautiful…" Hiroko still smiled though slightly unsure. Yumi shook his head.

"His name is Yumi. Neko is not… Anyways, this is Yumi! I try to be proud of everyone equally, but he's special. He's perfect for company, tea ceremony, dance, and just for lighting up the room. He's funny and so adorable, you can get away with anything with him." The large man gently ran the back of his fingers down Yumis' cheek as Yumi beamed up at him, grinning ear to ear. Shoji sighed again, looking towards the door, trying to understand.

"Yumi, I apologize. Come here love." Yumi pranced up to the master, holding out his hands to let them be taken by Hiroko. "You are very happy, aren't you?" Yumi nodded, Kazume looking around the chair.

"NINJA!" Yumi exclaimed, throwing himself back, falling into the large man. The large man quickly caught him, returning Yumi to his feet.

"No no Yumi, no ninja… That's Kazume. He's a guard." The large man calmed him.

"No ninja?"

"No ninja."

"He has a fear of ninjas then. Does Shoji also have a fear?" Kanaye grumbled, Kazume stepping out so that Yumi can get a good look at him. The large man cleared his throat.

"It's part of their training. You can see from Yumi's blood line that it would be very difficult to protect him from his past. Thus, he is afraid of ninjas. Shoji is a little easier. He has a fear of the dark, shadows and such." The large man explained.

"Yumi's a Hyuuga, and he's a… Nara?" Kanaye raised a brow, Hiroko quickly elbowing him.

"We don't use those other family names here, right? We are the family, he is now part of our family." Hiroko corrected him. "Yumi, there are no ninjas in this house. Plenty of guards to protect us from ninjas though. This is Kazume, he will be protecting you." Kazume waved.

"He's cute!" Kazume smiled at the master before returning to his spot. Hiroko nodded his head.

"It is preferable for the new pets to be taken in sets of two." The large man said, pushing Yumi forward a little more. "He doesn't like to be in a room of strangers, so that is why I showed you Shoji first, but I think he is just perfect for you. He's simply wonderful, innocent, and he wants to please. He's untouched, Shoji has some minor scarring, but Yumi has practically none." Hiroko smiled, nodding his head. "He's a little slow when it comes to jokes, for the most part he doesn't understand other than that he's supposed to laugh. He enjoys the fact that he's supposed to laugh. He doesn't like jokes making fun of people for their flaws though, he really pays attention to other's feelings, even if he has never met them before. He also doesn't talk… at all really. Single word sentences. But he can be funny at times, with his innocence and little quirks."

"That I can't wait to learn! Yumi, welcome to the family!" Hiroko held his arms out, Yumi running into them for a hug. "Oh you're a hugger! I just love huggers!"

"Is that all, or are you going to try to unload more people here?" Kanaye groaned, Shoji smiling slightly.

"The other one isn't as good of a fit, and the other I'm not planning on selling." Shoji's face fell, looking up at the large man, who didn't react. "Both have too many visible marks, and… Never mind. I have taken up enough of your time." The large man held up his hands. "If you have any issues, please contact me. I'll remain in the area in case you have problems."

"Neko?" Shoji whispered. The large man bowed, exiting the room in large strides. Shoji's breath quickened, Yumi oblivious to the problem. Shoji felt tears sting his eyes, as the door closed. "Puppet." He said, Yumi still looking at the clothes Hiroko had on. "Puppet." Shoji said a little louder, catching Hiroko's attention. Yumi was looking around the chair, Kazume sliding around to the other side, until Yumi had to walk around, starting a game of chase both enjoyed. "PUPPET." Shoji exclaimed, Yumi looking up and around.

"Puppet? Puppet!" Yumi took off to the door, guards stepping in to block his way. "Puppet Puppet Puppet PUPPET!" Yumi beat his fists against the men's armor. "PUPPET PUPPET PUPPET!" Yumi began to sob, realizing he couldn't get though, falling to the floor wailing. "Puuupppppeeeettttt!"

"What a sale that was. He really fits in with our household…" Kanaye rolled his eyes.

"Shoji, what is upsetting him? What's this puppet? Is it a toy?" Hiroko looked over to Shoji, who pointed to the door, shaking his head. The large man was coming through, Yumi catching a pant leg and tugging.

"Yumi stop! I heard screaming, what happened?" The large man quickly came up to Hiroko, bowing and blushing with embarrassment. Hiroko frowned.

"They are missing something. Shoji said something about a cat, and then said 'puppet' to Yumi, who, well, you can see for yourself." Yumi was still trying to get out the open door, sobbing.

"Puhuhuhupppeeettt!"

"It's their friend. I'm sure Yumi will attach to Shoji once he realizes that he's not coming…" The large man held out his hands in front of him. He turned to Shoji. "Shoji, how about you go to Yumi and try to comfort him?"

"Neko." Shoji crossed his arms, his eyes taking on an odd glint.

"Go get the cat, Puppet. I'm sure that if he's that important that whatever flaws you may find in him can be overlooked. Along with this incident." Hiroko waved the large man off, looking worriedly at Yumi. The man bowed, jogging out the room. Yumi sat, rubbing his eyes still sobbing. The man came in, pushing a very disturbed looking Neko in front of him. Neko took off into a run, wrapping his arms around Shoji's shoulders.

"Shoji!" Neko grinned, Shoji taking a deep breath and released it with a smile, though he didn't return the embrace. "Yumi?" Yumi looked up at Neko, eyes swollen and red. Sniffing, he got up to go hug Neko. "Yumi." Yumi continued to sniffle, but it wasn't nearly to the point as he was.

"Now what do you find wrong with him? He's sensitive, sweet, and rather cute." Hiroko eyed Neko up and down, before breaking into a smile. "He seems to be of high quality."

"The marks on his cheeks are a big deterrent, and his rugged build and scars on his knees and elbows make him more of a servant, a worker in a household." The large man sighed. "Though, he's very entertaining, and eats what ever you put in front of him. He is fine as long as there are no dogs around."

"Well, we have no pets other than my cats." Neko perked up at Hiroko's thought. "You like cats Puppet?" Hiroko smiled. Neko raised a brow.

"His name is Neko." The large man explained. "He loves cats."

"Who is Puppet?" Hiroko asked, Yumi falling into another sobbing fit. The large man shifted foot to foot.

"First, Yumi, I'm very disappointed." This didn't deter Yumi from sobbing into Neko's arms. "And well, Yumi really attached to Puppet. But he is not even of Neko's caliber really. He has multiple injuries to his ankles, he can't even walk right, his scars are appalling, and he is simply to big to be a pet and to hindered to be a servant."

"But Yumi seems to be very attached to him for such an… Unattractive person." Hiroko still watched Yumi worriedly. "Let me see him."

"But!"

"Bring him in."

"Grandfather, listen to him, he's the expert." Kanaye begged, looking at his clip board in agony.

"If Puppet is good enough for Yumi, then he might be good enough for the family. Bring him here, now, or we call this whole deal off."

The large man took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I knew this would happen, Puppet is… Caring, gentle, like a big brother, a protector, and very nurturing with infinite patience. I, frankly, am not planning on selling him. I want to keep him, for training purposes of course. He is, my favorite." Hiroko turned his gaze back to the man before him, eyeing him up and down.

"Are you in love with him?" Hiroko asked, bluntly. The man paused, thinking.

"Not in love per se, but I do prefer his company to others. Truthfully, he deserves a good home. It was a lot to ask for to have him come, only to be denied that which he has worked so hard for…" The man turned, walking out the room slowly.

"Grandfather, why? I mean, we have the money in all, but, why? There are no real uses for pets, with the rules you have instilled." Hiroko waved him off, the large man entered with a slightly hobbling Puppet, who went from inching to charging.

"What did you do to him? Yumi? Yumi what happened…" Yumi turned, letting out a loud exhale of air before leaping into Puppet's chest, wrapping his arms around Puppet's neck and sobbing.

"Puppet!"

"He realized that you weren't coming, so he threw a fit." The large man sighed, rubbing his face. "See why I like him so much? He's nurturing."

"His bloodline would beg to differ." A guard stepped forward, bowing slightly to Hiroko. "Master, this boy here is of kage bloodline, from my old village. A very handsome bloodline. He just hasn't had the opportunity to care for himself when it comes to his looks, but his training is superb for him to be so… Coddling." The guard bowed again, stepping back into place. Hiroko rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Actually, he came with these traits, he's just tucked them away into the back of his mind. All I had to do was take away his memory and give him a slight fear of the unexplainable." The large man retorted. The guard looked down and away.

"Puppet, please, let me see you." Puppet glared at him over Yumi's head, straightening a little to give Hiroko a better look. "He doesn't look rough to me."

"It isn't so much his face as his… Let me show you…" The large man brought the two closer. "Let go Yumi, he's not going anywhere right now." Yumi released all but Puppet's hand, the large man turn Puppet so that his back was to the chair and pushed him to his knees. Puppet looked up questioningly as the large man pulled down the neckline of Puppets' kimono to reveal a shoulder, Hiroko touching two fingers down to run along his skin gently.

"You've seen a lot in your young life, haven't you…" Hiroko's voice was soft, Puppet changing his opinion of the old man.

"He has had previous abuse, I wasn't able to remove all the trauma, but he doesn't realize what happened to him. It isn't that I don't like him, master Hiroko. I've depended on him a lot. He is by far the most functional out of the four, five if you count the Aburame-"

"Shino."

"Yes, Shino. I was actually hoping to keep him because of how well he listened to instruction and calmed these three here, even when he was scared himself, and I found him to be beautiful in his own right… But, if you want him, then you may have him." The large man bowed, slightly sad. Puppet looked up into his face, seeing the tears that made the statement true.

"Are you sure that you're not in love with… This?" Kayane asked in disbelief. Hiroko once again struck his side.

"Like I said, I prefer his company over others." The large man stood up. "This is a business, and I do care for each and every trainee, I just, have a fondness for this one. I wasn't planning on selling him. Actually, I still am not, but he has very specific care instructions."

"You're giving him to us, for free?" Hiroko pulled the kimono back up to cover Puppet's chilled skin.

"In exchange of superb care. He has a strict diet because of his stomach ulcers, that doesn't allow for anything with hot spice or is acidic, amongst other things." The large man smiled. "I do have to say that I am happy though, that they get to stay together, Puppet truly deserves a placement like this." Hiroko smiled back at him, Puppet standing to be closer to Yumi and the other two. "But if he doesn't get the quality of care I'll specify for you, I will take him back, though I'm sure that this will not happen." Hiroko nodded his agreement.

"Welcome to the family, Neko, Puppet. We have so much to learn about each other, I can't wait to get started!" Hiroko smiled at them, Kazume clapping his hands behind him, Kanaye sighing as he scribbled some more on his clip board.

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**_Chapter end notes: Remember, reviews keep me writing! Keep reading!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter notes: More characters! Prepare for you head to spin, I'm thinking of posting a cheat sheet...**_

* * *

"Alright boys, we have new members to the family, and we must introduce everyone!" Hiroko smiled at the group of boys sitting in another grand room. Two mirror images tilted their heads to the side in perfect timing to each other, another boy currently being pummeled by Kazume tried to sit back up, and a regal looking young man stood and glided over to their master to get a better look.

"They appear to be rather tired, I'll go set up the bed." He smiled at them, tipping his head.

"It is already being done Kitsune, boys, this is Kitsune. He's been here the longest." Hiroko took Kitsune's hand, squeezing it gently. Kitsune's chestnut hair fell softly about his shoulders, matching his soft features and amber eyes that perpetually kept looking at everyone's chins. His figure was slight, and he was taller than Puppet by about a head. All but Shoji eyed him in wonder, as the boys' smile broadened.

"I'm out lasted by most of the guards, master. If you boys have any questions, feel free to ask me." Kitsune bowed at the waist, the four new boys struggled to bow lower then their senpai. Stepping back, another tall boy carrying Kazume on his shoulders made his way up to their master's side.

"I'm Koronowae. I assume you have already met my little brother." Kazume waved at him.

"This is my aniki! Isn't he handsome? He's going to be a blacksmith! I'll show you his shop when we have some time! We've been here for…" Kazume started to count on his fingers as Koronowae waited patiently. "Well, since I was a baby! He's really nice too! And he's funny, and did I say handsome, well, you can see that for yourselves! And-"

"Kazume, calm down." Koronowae sighed, removing the boy from his shoulders carefully. He had sharp handsome features, and had long midnight hair pulled back into a pony tail, exactly like his little brother. Kazume was rather like a miniature replica of Koronowae, except he wore a guard's outfit while his older brother wore a red yukata, as did all the other experienced pets, and Kazume had rounder facial features of a child. Another difference was how tired Koronowae appeared while his little brother was full of energy.

Koronowae's black eyes seemed devoid of all emotion, until he held his brother in front of him, only then did a gentle warmth fill them. "Welcome, and like Kitsune said, if you have any questions, feel free to ask." He led the boy by the hand back to their original spots, whispering in his ear about not over stimulating the new family members. The two look a likes made their way to the front of the room, arm in arm, perfect synchronization of movement.

"These two are The Twins. They used to have separate names, but since we can never tell who is who, we just started calling them The Twins." They bowed, then turned to walk away. The group had no time to return the respect before both boys were kneeling on a fluffy blanket, looking into each other's eyes. They were obviously younger then the four newbies in the front of the room, but older than Kazume. Short bowl cut red hair and sharp green eyes, they were more adorable then handsome. Puppet felt his hand get gripped by Yumi.

"Puppet?" Yumi whispered quietly, Puppet making a slight shushing sound. Yumi fell silent, looking towards the ground.

"All right, attention to the front!" Hiroko clapped his hands, the pets looking up and at him, guards turning at attention. "This, is Shoji!" He held a hand towards Shoji, Shoji unconsciously standing a little straighter then his usual slouched stance. "He is a shoji master, hence the name. Do not pet his head, or try to primp him. He's handsome enough!" Shoji smiled slightly, nodding his head once in agreement. Hiroko moved his hand to indicate the next boy. "This, is Neko. He's not fond of dogs, thus please try to keep them away from him. He is very fond of scratches behind his ear, so if you feel like petting Shoji go find Neko." The guards chuckled, nodding their heads to let Hiroko know that they understood. "Next here is Yumi. Yumi is a sweetheart, no harsh language around him! Anything negative you say will hurt his feelings. Isn't he adorable? I'm hoping Kitsune will take him under his wing." He nodded to Kitsune, who smiled his acceptance of this job. "And this here, is Puppet. Do not make him move any faster then he is already going, do not force him to eat anything that he does not want to."

"Sir, does that include foods given to him by guests?" A guard quickly interjected.

"If a guest wants him to try out something or gives him a gift of food, and Puppet does not feel comfortable, I expect you to step in and inform our guest as politely as possible that Puppet has a special stomach condition that will make him ill if he eats what ever it is the guest is trying to feed him. If they are insulted, so be it. I do not want Puppet to get sick. His guard will carry acceptable treats." Hiroko stared at the guard, who lowered his gaze.

"Yes sir."

"The man who chose them for us has also given us some alternatives for Puppet that I'll tell you about later if you want to give him something special. Now then boys, how about we show you all to your room." Hiroko started to wheel himself out.

"Puppet!" Yumi whispered harshly into Puppet's ear, Puppet trying to calm him down by stroking his hand gently. "Pupppppeeeeettttt…" Yumi jumped up and down a little, Neko mimicking his movement.

"What?" Puppet asked as quietly as he could.

"Bathroom?" Neko asked for them, Shoji looking over to let Puppet know that they all were in slight discomfort. Puppet frowned a little, not wanting to interrupt Hiroko during their tour. Kazume trotted after them, all energized from playing a little with his brother.

"Kazume?" Puppet whispered when the boy came close, Kazume looking up at him rather surprised. "I don't want to make this issue obvious, but… We all are in need of a bathroom, but…" Puppet looked up at the master's back with a slightly pained smile on his back. Kazume nodded his head covertly.

"MASTER THEY NEED A BATHROOM BREAK!" Kazume shouted to the front of the group, Puppet slapping his face with his free hand.

"So much for being polite about this…"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! You've had a long day haven't you?" Neko and Yumi nodded their heads enthusiastically. "It's right down there on your left. There's also another one attached to your bed room." Yumi and Neko quickly made their way to the bathroom, Shoji matching gaits with Puppet. Waiting patiently, Hiroko filled them in about the rules. "You see, I entertain a lot of guests, most of which are very wealthy clients for my medical expertise. We have to be polite, kind, and most of all, gentle. Neko, this means you, from what I've heard." Neko dug his toe into the ground innocently, waiting for Yumi to finish up.

"Try better." Neko punctuated himself with a curt nod. Hiroko smiled.

"I know you will! I have full faith in you Neko. Secondly, we have diner together, no questions, no changes. Guards often will join us on a rotational schedule, be polite, they are the ones keeping us safe. You all will share a bed with the older pets." Puppet's eyes widened slightly, raising a brow. "I know you think it will be cramped, but it won't be really. From left edge to right, it is The Twins, Kazume, Koronowae, and then Kitsune. I'm sure you will figure out your own placements in the bed, I suggest whoever gets cold the easiest to sleep closer to the middle, and whoever moves the most gets the edge." Puppet recorded this in his head, already deciding that Neko and Shoji would be closest to their elders, he next, and Yumi on the edge. "And everything else will come up as time goes on. I don't want to overwhelm you." Puppet finally had his turn in the bathroom, Hiroko waited for him to come back out before he continued on.

"Should we point out here?" Kazume asked quietly, passing a strong looking door. Hiroko looked at the door, eyes glistening.

"Of course, boys, this is my life line. Suichi here has kept me alive for… over fourteen years now. The boy who came with you, Shino, shall help keep me going on until I feel that I can leave my grandson and let him take over. I'm sure Shino is asleep, but Suichi should be awake. Just be very quiet!" He eyed Kazume, who made a motion as if he was sealing his lips shut. Hiroko knocked on the door softly, and a man with round sunglasses and messy brown hair wearing a sky blue yakata opened the door slowly, revealing a fair sized bed room with a single large bed in it along with some tables and chairs. The bed had a human shaped lump in it, and a matching set of sunglasses were on the nightstand on the side the bulge was mostly on. "Good evening Suichi. These are our new pets, I wanted them to meet you. May we come in?" Suichi looked over to the bed, opening the door further and allowing the group in.

Walking tiredly, Suichi sat on his apparent side of the bed and partially lifted Shino upright so that the group could see his face. Dark circles under his eyes, Yumi took a step back, letting out a startled gasp, before going forward to the boy. Puppet reached out to stop him, but Hiroko waved his hand negatively, and Puppet retracted his arm. Yumi crawled up onto the bed, gently patting back some of the soft spikes of hair away from Shino's face, concern etched in his own.

"The exchange process is hard, especially so soon after the purification." Suichi explained, still holding Shino up. "He'll be fine in the morning, but then that night there is another exchange. It's a constant, but he'll get used to it. He's of good blood, and has more then enough life to share." Yumi furrowed his brows as Shino stirred, covering his eyes to the light as he looked between his fingers.

"Neji?" Shino whispered, before nearly smiling and falling back asleep. "Kiba did it, we're home…" Shino shifted more into Suichi's side, body relaxing.

"Ignore that, it's a part of the purification process. He thinks you're someone named Neji." Suichi shrugged a little, resting the boy back down onto the pillows. "He'll get over it… I did…" He whispered the last part quietly, a look of sadness barely registering with Yumi and not at all with the other occupants.

"Suichi, that is Yumi." Yumi gave one last pet to the slumbering Shino before hopping off of the bed to bow to Suichi. "This is Puppet, Neko, and Shoji. I hope that you will all make good friends." Suichi made a slight bow from the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose and yet his sunglasses didn't fall.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, now, if you would be so kind, I want to go out to the gardens for my daily walk… That I haven't had in over three years…" Suichi smiled, standing up. "He's a blessing, but… I still feel saddened… He has to be the son of the head-" He cut himself off, looking over to Hiroko. "I beg your pardon, I was rambling." Suichi exited the room, waiting by the door to give them another bow, before being followed by a guard down another hall way.

"Shino?" Puppet pointed to the boy in the bed, rubbing his forehead gently.

"I'm sure he's too asleep to realize he's alone Yumi, he'll be fine." Puppet took his free hand into one of his, gently squeezing it. "We'll see if we can't spend time with him tomorrow, when he feels better." Yumi giggled, nodding his head agreeably, and scampered out the room. Hiroko chuckled at the boy, allowing Kazume to push him along, every so often dropping a hand to a wheel to steer them away from a wall. Kazume couldn't see over the back of the chair, and was only providing the propulsion. "What does he mean by exchange? And that there is enough life in him to share?" Puppet asked, trying to break the silence. Hiroko chuckled again.

"Well, muscles are controlled with slight electrical shocks, have you ever been shocked by static, and felt how your muscles contracted?" Puppet nodded, Hiroko looking over his shoulder to catch the action. "Well, they have electricity built up inside their bodies, and I don't. My body is so old, it doesn't produce it's own electrical flow anymore, so they give me theirs through a simple exchange. I rest my hands on their shoulders, and they release the energy into my body. Don't believe me?" Puppet smiled, though his eyes told everyone who knew how to read them that he thought the old man was senile.

"Makes perfect sense, master." Puppet sighed, content with the idea that he won't ever understand.

"How about I wake you up early tomorrow to watch Suichi exchange? Or will it frighten you?" Hiroko paused at another strong looking door, smiling at Puppet. Puppet stopped in mid-step, quickly running through his options.

"I think…" He cleared his throat. "I think that would be an interesting experience." Puppet nodded his head to confirm his wish. Hiroko laughed heartily, opening the door to a huge room with a bed that dominated the bulk of it.

"See see see!? You all won't be cramped at all! And here are mirrors, brushes, the bathroom with multiple sinks and showers, your clothes though I think we may have to specialty make some broad enough in the shoulders for Puppet but here are toys and games and here's shoji Shoji and here's a cat her name's Kimiko for Neko and Yumi here's some flowers-"

"Kazume, I'm sure that they can find their way around, if not the other boys can help them." Hiroko picked up the little ball of energy and returned the boy into his lap. "Make yourselves comfortable and change, though I do think that we do not have anything that will fit you Puppet. If you can't find anything in the closet, then please excuse my being unprepared. We'll take your measurements after diner to send to the tailor. Diner is in an hour, please be prompt, the cooks are all excited!" Hiroko left the door slightly opened, four men standing just outside the door.

"Do you mind if I close this?" Puppet looked out at them as Yumi started to hunt through the closet for clothes for everyone. Neko hopped into a shower as Shoji contemplated taking one himself.

"We're going to be seeing you all naked anyways in the steam baths, we prefer the door to be open just in case you need us." The one speaking put his toe next to the door jam to keep it from being slammed shut.

"Why?" Puppet raised a brow, suspicious.

"Not for any perverse reasons. We're your guards, specifically, Takashi is for Yumi, Mizuki for Neko, Shindo for Shoji, and I'm Hizashi, I'll be your guard. We all have some medical training also, in case you fall and hurt yourselves." The one speaking had a mask over his face, one eye hidden behind a patch, and thin gloves hiding his hands. Puppet looked him up and down, startled that the only skin he could find was the skin around the man's left eye.

"So, you're our guards… I thought you guys rotated." Puppet tried to trip him up.

"The others do, we don't. All pets have a specialty guard, chosen based on personality and skills. I'm intimidating, you're the easiest to hurt. I also have limited vision, thus I can only watch out for you, though you watch out for everyone. We match."

"Neko is impulsive, I'm quick." Mizuki stood, pointing a thumb to his chest. He was missing three fingers on that hand, and half his ear had been cut off on the same side. Puppet recognized that the man also had a fake leg in a knee high boot.

"Shoji is laid back, I like to play board games, we match up pretty well." Shindo sighed, burns criss-crossing his face and arms. On one hand, the pinky and the ring finger had been fused together with scar tissue, a ring that apparently had sealed into the two was poking out, sparkling.

"I am hyper vigilant. Yumi I hear is rather- innocent. People may try to take advantage of that. I'm not going to let that happen." Takashi said sternly, several slash marks etched deep in his features, his open shirt revealing more, and deeper, scars into his stomach.

"Master has saved us all, and now we serve him in return. When he found us, we were dead by all means, and he resurrected us, brought us into his home, and has welcomed us as one of his own. We won't betray him, and we won't betray you, Puppet." The one cold gray eye bored into his, Puppet shivering slightly, wondering if he was blind in that eye or had cataracts. Yumi came up behind Puppet, wrapping his arms around the larger boy's waist. Puppet turned to see that Yumi had showered and was in his proper pet gear, deep red yukata, and red slippers that matched. Shoji was trying to get his wet hair up into his pony tail as Neko played with the cat with the belt of his red yukata.

"Couldn't find one for Puppet, eh?" Takashi smiled slightly, bowing to Yumi. "Yumi, I'm Takashi, and I'll protect you with my life." Yumi stared at the display with furrowed brow and a look of stark fear and confusion on his face.

"Ninja?"

"No… Takashi! I know we don't look like guards, but we have more lax dress codes." Takashi tried to smile, his face didn't appear to take on the look of "happy" well, straightening back up.

"No one is going to try to kill us, no ninja." Puppet calmed Yumi, Takashi not understanding why Yumi questioned "ninja". "They are more like, like, the… You know who…" Yumi tilted his head. "The, the big guy! You know, our, trainer… Person… The tall man." Yumi still had a slightly confused look on his face, the others coming to the door to check out the men and listen in.

"Big man!" Neko hugged his sides, catching on. Shoji didn't bother to react. "Big big big man!" Neko held his hands out, Yumi finally nodded his head. Pushing into the hall, Yumi wrapped his arms around Takashi's waist, smiling.

"Big!" Takashi sighed, preparing to try to explain to the boy again who he was. "Ta-ka-shi!" Yumi extended the syllables happily. "Takashi!" Takashi nodded, patting the top of the boy's head with a flat hand. Mizuki chuckled.

"He's adorable. Where's Neko?" Neko stepped forward, looking up at Mizuki. Mizuki smiled brightly. "And he is too!" Mizuki hugged Neko tightly. "I'll protect you with my life!" Mizuki announced, Neko laughing at him.

"I need to see Shoji." Shoji matched Shindo's gaze, sighing. "You know the drill. Do you want a hug?" Shindo sighed back. Shoji raised a well arched brow at him. "Good, I hate clingy people." Mizuki tried to tackle hug him.

"Except for me!"

"Especially him."

"Liar."

"Baka."

"Enough." Hizashi growled, everyone stood at attention. "You four get that we four will forfeit our lives to protect you?" The four boys nodded their heads as Hizashi's one eye continued to stare at Puppet's face. Puppet wondered silently if he ever blinked, then he realized, the man didn't have an… eyelid… "It is also our duty to make sure you aren't late. Diner is in five minutes, we'll make it if we hurry. Do I have to carry you Puppet?"

"I would think that they would skip this, we are awfully tired." Puppet rested a hand on Yumi's shoulder as the boy yawned in agreement.

"No changes. They'll make it brief." Hizashi once again offered to carry Puppet, but Puppet motioned for him to lead on, and struggled to match the long, albeit hitched from an apparent leg injury, stride of the unofficial leader. "I'm sorry for the delay, master Hiroko." The table was set, four spots were uninhabited. Puppet frowned to see that each seat was surrounded by others, and that he wouldn't be able to sit next to Yumi.

"That's alright, just don't let it happen again. Luckily we do not have any guests tonight. Yumi, sit next to Kitsune here. The rest of you can pick your seats." Hiroko waved his arm out to the table, Yumi sitting nervously next to Kitsune. Kitsune smiled at him reassuringly.

"Who ever sits here is in charge of pouring master tea. Suichi always sits there, and Shino should sit next to him, but unfortunately he was to ill to make it." Kitsune gracefully poured tea into the master's cup, the others began their eating. Neko quickly noted that he was to be pouring tea for the men on either side of him, as did Puppet who tried not to spill it.

"Shoji, do you mind pouring me some tea? I have fumble fingers." A guard next to Shoji raised fat digits to try to crack a joke.

"Oh yes! Pets pour tea, I forgot to mention that." Hiroko smiled at Shoji, who sighed and poured the tea one handedly, then stared at his food without interest.

"Doesn't this look lovely, Puppet? Why aren't you having some of our main course?" A woman sitting next to Puppet asked, ready to dish out some beef in a pepper and soy sauce onto Puppets plate.

"He can't." Hizashi quickly stopped her, she returning the serving platter back to the table. "He's able to pick his own food, and allowed."

"Oh yes, another rule! Our guards and guests serve food to pets, and if the guests are unable the pets serve them first." Hiroko waved a finger in the air, trying to remember other items to tell the new pets at the table.

"Why isn't he in proper dress?" Another guard, serving Neko some beef that the boy seemed to enjoy.

"Nothing fit." Puppet answered, the guard pausing in mid-bite. "I take it I'm not supposed to answer?" Puppet raised a brow.

"Oh no no no nothing like that! It's just, that was a question meant for me Puppet. It isn't your fault that nothing fit. It's more of a reminder to me to get your measurements. If they wanted you to answer, they will make it very specific to you." Hiroko reassured him. Shoji sighed, still not eating anything the guards next to him set before him.

"He's not hungry I guess." A guard shrugged, looking to the other one, who agreed. Puppet raised a hand, looking over to Hiroko. Hiroko raised a brow at him, nodding in his confusion.

"Give him some bread. He'll eat that." Puppet lowered his hand, going back to try to pour some more tea for the man beside him.

"Oh! That was why you were raising your hand! How clever of you!" Hiroko laughed as the guards shifted uneasily. "Now now, he doesn't know all the rules and is trying to be helpful. Oromaru, give Shoji some bread." The man obeyed, and Shoji finally took a bite, chin resting in the palm of one hand, elbow buried into his knee. "Ah! You are correct Puppet! I think that we may have to change some rules…" Kanaye chocked on his diner. "Puppet is very intelligent and knows all of Neko, Shoji, and Yumi's habits. We'll need his instruction, don't you agree Hizashi?" Hizashi nodded, and the guards settled in for their meal, reassured that the strongest of them all was content with this new set up.

"Anyone for dessert?" Hiroko asked as the table was cleared by servants who doted on the pets, especially the new ones.

"Was your rice cooked right Puppet?" A maternally looking woman asked, worrying his kimono.

"It was perfect. I loved it." Puppet smiled at her, as she let out a little gasp when she saw some of his skin on his shoulders. She quickly tried to cover it up as Puppet furrowed his brows, looking at his scarred up shoulders in confusion.

"Momo san, what is wrong?" Hiroko asked, worried, as several guards with white sashes prepared to go help her.

"Oh, it's just… I'll make you up a nice exfoliant bath Puppet, you'll love it!" Momo quickly left the room, leaving Puppet even more confused. Yumi scratched at his shoulders, Puppet reading it with a sad nod.

"Well, as I asked already, did I ask? Would anyone like some dessert?" Hiroko asked again, cooks already bringing out some sweets. Kitsune waved it away politely, as did Yumi following his lead. Koronowae also refused dessert, but The Twins gladly partook in the eats, the only pets allowed to sit right next to each other on a nightly basis. Shoji grinned as a piece of cake was lowered onto his plate, diving in.

"He certainly likes his cake, doesn't he!" The guard next to him exclaimed.

"It's the easiest way to keep weight on him, right Puppet?" Hiroko offered the boy.

"Yes, he doesn't have much of an appetite, but he can't resist cake." Puppet's eyes lit up as Hizashi handed him some hard candies that had been hidden away in his belt.

"Chocolate gives him heartburn." Hizashi glared at the guard sitting to the side of Puppet, who looked slightly irritated that she wasn't allowed to feed him anything.

"Well, we certainly don't want to make him ill. I guess that it would be best to train him not to accept food from others too as a good precaution. I used hot mustard sauce on my cat to get her to leave my plants alone, maybe we can use that as a training aide?" She chuckled, Puppet's hackles raising. As Puppet took a deep breath to calm down and just let it go, Hizashi lashed out.

"He's not an animal! None of them are! Especially Puppet. He thinks for himself and knows what he can and cannot eat. Don't speak of him as if he is an idiot-"

"Okay okay! Diner is over, I hope you all get a wonderful night's sleep!" Hiroko quickly cut off his favorite guard's tirade. The woman hung her head in shame.

"Gomenosai, Hizashi dono, Puppet." She appeared to be miserable, and Hizashi didn't move to minimize it. Turning on his heel, he offered his hand covertly to Puppet, who used it to get up to his feet. Bowing low to the woman as his own form of acceptance, Puppet found more respect growing in his heart for the one eyed guard. As the others stood, the pets bowed down low to the guards, who left first, most of them chuckling. Hiroko sighed.

"You could have been a little gentler Hizashi. I would hope that my best guard would show his underlings a little more compassion."

"By striking one harshly, the others won't have to be struck at all. That display will let everyone know how to treat Puppet, and I won't have to repeat myself. Don't worry, she'll get over it. Puppet smoothed things over." Hizashi bowed down to the master of the house. "You have never had a problem before with my habits."

"True, one complaint every eight years is a good track record, now isn't it?" Hiroko chuckled, smiling at Hizashi. "And don't bow down so low, you'll hurt your back." Hizashi stood back up, a smile barely apparent on his face. "How's your eye?"

"Sore, it'll be nice to rest once Puppet is done with his bath."

"I'm taking a bath?" Puppet didn't quite remember when he decided to take a bath. He recalled the woman Momo saying she would make him up one, but he didn't think that he was going to have to take it.

"Momo has already drawn you one. Come along, the others are going to bed." Hizashi nudged him towards a door, Yumi letting out a high pitched wail. "I'll have him back in one piece, no longer than one hour." Hizashi kept Puppet moving, despite Puppet's attempts to turn around. Yumi quieted, finding matching book ends on either side of him propelling him forward. The Twins took his arms in their hands, skipping from the room. The chatting Koronowae and Kitsune went silent as the trio passed, shocked that The Twins had accepted someone between them.

"I didn't think that this place would be so…" Puppet couldn't find the word.

"Arrogant? Yes, most of the guards are rather dumb, but the whole title of being a, Pet, gives them the assumption that you all are like animals. The Twins don't help with that, and the three you came with will probably only keep that idea of needing to train them as if they were dogs alive. Kitsune and Koronowae have had an uphill battle to get them to see that they can think for themselves, but they aren't as self sufficient as you are." Hizashi brought him deeper into the house.

"But they seem so…" Puppet once again was at a loss.

"Kitsune has been here since he was four, supposedly he was in an catatonic state and wouldn't look anyone in the face. It's taken fourteen years to get him to look up to someone's chin, or down to their forehead. He has a limited vocabulary, believe it or not. Most of his phrases are trained, and he picks which one would be most appropriate for the situation."

"And Koronowae?"

"He was a runaway, came in at eleven years of age, carrying an infant, Kazume. He has a intense fear of the outdoors, and fire. Yes, fire, though he's a blacksmith in training, he cannot see the blaze of the furnace with the specific set up we made. He also has a fear of blood, and swords, he only makes knives, spears, shuriken, and decorative items. You can see how inanimate he appears to be. He is actually the least liked of the pets according to our guests simply because he never appears to have emotions."

"Except for Kazume, you can tell that he loves his little brother." Puppet interjected.

"True, and Kazume is amazing for a seven year old. He came in with advanced learning capabilities, and started walking at an unheard of age of three months. That is actually why he is so short, his spinal cord never straighten upright. His posture appears impeccable, but his spine is actually very twisted. You can only tell during training, sometimes he'll push himself too far and injure his back." Hizashi opened a door, several servants bustling around on the other side with a huge steaming tub in the center of the room, Momo swirling the water around with a look of concentration etched in her face. "Forty five minutes, that's all you get. He needs his rest." Hizashi pushed Puppet forward, Momo greeting him with open arms.

"Puppet! Let's get you in there quickly! We only have a little bit of time!" She started to take off his yukata, Puppet quickly pulled it back over the round of his shoulders. "Oh yes, everyone! Privacy please!" The group bowed, some giggling, and exited the room. "Don't be shy around me, I'm going to scrub your back for you!" Momo went back to the tub, adding in more Epsom salts. Puppet looked back to Hizashi, who was putting drops into his one eye very slowly, and quickly stripped and slid into the tub before Momo could look up and see his nakedness below the waist. "There we are!" Momo began to take a rough sponge to his back, rubbing his skin raw. Puppet gritted his teeth, trying to enjoy himself, or at least appear to be. Momo continued her assult on his scars until Hizashi cleared his throat. "And we're done! I'll leave you to get dressed, here's a towel for you!" Momo scampered out of the room. Puppet turned again, slowly standing and positioning the towel to cover himself at the right moment.

"Thank you." Puppet smiled as Hizashi raised a brow. "The drops." Puppet guessed that Hizashi had chosen that exact moment to wet his eyes for a reason. Hizashi shrugged.

"It get's dry. Have to protect what little eye sight I have left." Puppet guessed that he was smiling as he shouldered his yukata on, letting the towel drop from his hips when he tied the belt. Sliding his underwear on under the covering of his black yukata, he followed Hizashi back to his bedroom.

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_**Chapter end notes: Thank you to everyone who has kept going with my madness and kept reviewing! Reviews are what I eat people, they keep me going!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**To answer questions: This is like a bit of AU, while following some original plot. It takes place after the chunin exams...Umm...Just read on to find out what happens...**_

_**This has a lot of stuff happening in it, sorry. And yes, it is creepy...It will only get creepier!...Plot bunnies are attacking. Pets dying, people dying, good news is, none of the characters are dying! Sort of...On to the story!**_

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Puppet firmly gripped Yumi about the waist as the smaller boy struggled and wiggled about.

"Puppppppeeeettttttt…" Yumi whined in Puppet's ear, Puppet sighing.

"Stop moving, you'll wake someone up." Puppet hissed into his ear, trying to hold onto the squirming body as Yumi doubled his efforts to get out of the bed.

"Too late." Koronowae grumbled, sitting up. "What's his problem?" His voice was monotone, not really showing concern, but at the same time demanding an answer.

"He's always been like this. He doesn't like to sleep. And all the mirrors are disturbing him… He doesn't like his own reflection." Puppet pushed Yumi under his own body, using his bulk to keep Yumi from sitting upright. Yumi whined at him again, trying to poke his sides. "He suffers from nightmares." Puppet grunted, pinning Yumi's arms to Yumi's sides to keep him from pushing Neko, who by now was used to Yumi's habits and was slumbering next to an equally unconscious Shoji.

"Alright, let's solve this." Koronowae slipped out from under the covers, walking off the bottom of the bed, and began to remove the mirrors from the wall, one by one, and moved them to the bathroom, and began to shut the door.

"Shoji needs the light on and the door open, or else when he wakes up he'll freak out and then come up with a plan to torment you." Koronowae gave him a look that tinged with disbelief. "Seriously, he will, and you don't want to see it, because with his great strategic mind, he'll think of a way to make your life really miserable. Thank you for being willing to sleep with the lights on." Puppet allowed Yumi to look at the unadorned wall, but Yumi continued to wiggle about.

"The lights are only on low. What if you take him to the gardens for a walk?" Koronowae asked. "Kazume will show you around if I wake him."

"I really want to go to sleep, he'll settle once we stop paying attention to him." Puppet sighed, wishing that what he said was really the case. Koronowae stepped around to look Yumi in the eye, Yumi smiling at him happily.

"This will put him to sleep, please don't be disturbed. It's a form of hypnosis." Puppet's breath caught as the color of Koronowae's eyes changed from black to red with three dots, Yumi making a slight gasp before closing his eyes and relaxing. Puppet couldn't move, fear striking him hard in the stomach as he started to try to wake Yumi. "He's fine, he'll wake up in the morning. Don't be afraid, it's just something I can do. Do you understand hypnosis?" Koronowae smiled at Puppet, eyes normal.

"Isn't that supposed to involve a pocket watch?"

"Not always. Some people have the ability to change the colors of their eyes, and for some odd reason, my eyes put people to sleep when I change them. It's explainable, but at the same time, even I don't understand it and I have the ability." Koronowae tried to calm Puppet down, Puppet taking deep breaths until he felt reasonably sure he wouldn't have a panic attack.

"You didn't put him to sleep, he just got exhausted… And the light was playing tricks on my eyes. That's all, you shouldn't joke around like that! People might start thinking that you're crazy." Puppet chuckled, settling into his spot off of Yumi. Koronowae shrugged, climbing back into his spot on the bed and sliding under the covers.

"I guess you're right. Who doesn't like a tall tale every once in a while though?" Koronowae hugged his brother into his chest, falling back to sleep. Puppet watched Yumi breath for a long while, before finally allowing sleep to steal the calming image.

"Puppet, wake up." Puppet felt a gentle finger slide down his cheek, opening his eyes slowly to see Hizashi looking down at him. Yumi had managed to bury his face under a pillow that he had hugged to his chest, and Neko on the other side began to stir a little. "Hiroko sama wants to see you. He said that you wanted to watch the exchange this morning." Puppet groaned, sitting up. Neko peered up at him.

"Cuddle with Yumi, he'll notice that I'm gone." Puppet smiled down at him, Neko nodded sleepily, sliding into the spot Puppet left vacant.

"Well then, let's go." Puppet looked down at his pajamas, then looked back up. "They'll all be in their sleep clothes. They go back to bed afterwards. It would be awkward for you to be wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday this morning, they'll think that you never changed. The tailor is working on new clothes for you right now." Hizashi had started leading Puppet out through the halls, keeping a steady pace to keep Puppet moving fast enough to not be considered strolling. "He should have a new set done by breakfast, three hours." Opening the big door that lead to Suichi and Shino's bedroom, he nodded to the two guards standing off to the side. "I hope we weren't too late, he wanted to change. I discouraged him."

"It's quite alright! We were about to get started. See Puppet, Suichi is in proper position right here." Suichi was kneeling in front of Hiroko with his back to the master's knees, looking very calm and serene. "And now, I'm going to rest my hands on his shoulders." Hiroko leaned forward, putting both hands onto Suichis' shoulder blades, and Puppet jumped backwards with a startled gasp as a blue light slid from Suichis' back up Hirokos' arms. "This is the electricity that he's built up for me, it's like lightning, but it doesn't hurt him or I at all. It's very natural, Puppet." Puppet's knees felt like they were about to go out from under him, Hizashi gripped his shoulder a little bit painfully. Changing his mindset, Puppet regained his composure.

"So, this is exchanging life. Electricity, it moves our muscles, he has more than normal, so he gives some to you. Shino does the same thing?" Puppet swallowed, smiling a thank you to Hizashi.

"I don't." The boy was sitting up in bed. "He's stealing our chakra. Kankurou, what's wrong with you? Where are we? I though we escaped." Puppet looked at Shino with a look of puzzled concern.

"Who's Kankurou?"

"Shino is still acclimating to this environment. He has memories that are scrambled, confused. He must have known a Kankurou at one time, and has attached the name to your image. Suichi and Shino are not here on their own free will like you and the pets are, they were forced to accept being pampered." Hiroko said, acting much more alert. "Once Suichi saw that this life is a whole lot more enjoyable to being beaten up and killing others, he stopped the previous memories from affecting this life. I'm sure Shino will stop confusing his old life with his new one."

"You kidnapped me and took away the only things I have ever known. This is Kankurou, he is the kazekage's older brother. He is a puppet ninja, en elite ninja at that who has successfully completed several B rank missions, that means he has killed enemy ninja, an expert with chakra control-" Shino looked like he was about to continue on with his list.

"I am none of those things." Puppet growled. "There is no such thing as chakra, and ninjas are evil. Shino, Hiroko is a wonderful master, and Yumi really wants to spend time with you. You called him Neji yesterday, and I do not want any more of this crazy talk if we are going to spend time with you. Do not mention anything about ninjas. Do you understand?" Puppet looked Shino in the sunglasses, firmly outlining the rules. Hizashi shifted to his other foot, before shaking his head as if a fly had landed on his nose.

"And who beat you during the last chunin exams?" Shino snapped back, looking at his arms, missing the usual feeling of buzzing that kept him calm, even stoic because he knew he was never alone in what he did or said.

"Yumi is not going to spend time with you today." Puppet retorted, walking over to Hiroko. "Yumi cannot spend time with that kind of, interaction."

"I agree. Shino needs more time. You really are a positive influence for him though, I would appreciate it if you would keep working with Shino." Hiroko smiled as Suichi managed to start trying to make it to the bed; a guard quickly stepped forward to help him.

"I'm sure that Shino will also appreciate the interaction." Suichi sighed, turning to whisper in Shino's ear. "Fake it until you believe." Shino's lip twitched, biting back another retort. "I'm going to sleep now, please keep it down." Suichi wiggled under the covers, passing out.

"Not like you can wake up after this. He's saying that for the effect that he is willingly falling asleep and easily awakened." Shino started to stand. "Where are my clothes? Where's Kiba? Where am I?!"

"He wasn't conscious at all when he was at the kennel, was he?" Hizashi asked Hiroko, who shook his head negatively. "He hasn't had any time to acclimate, Puppet; you really will be the best one to help him."

"It will be best for "Puhpeht" to drop the act and kill you all."

"Stop that!" Puppet exclaimed, shock rocking his system. "I wouldn't kill anyone, I can't!"

"Shino doesn't understand what he's saying; he thinks you're someone else." Hiroko tried to soothe Puppet, who was death glaring the Aburame.

"And if you refer to him as a cold blooded killer, I'll have Kitsune show you what a real cold blooded killer looks like…"

"Hizashi, that isn't going to help." Hiroko once again tried to calm the room.

"Just letting him know, I'll have Kitsune show him the Uchiha massacre."

"I already know, Itachi killed everyone in his extended and nuclear family groups in cold blood, and I have actually been part of the clean up. It's part of genin training, every team has to try to clean up the stains as a reminder of our Konoha history-"

"Enough, everyone enough!" Puppet shouted, rushing to the door. "Yumi! Yumi hunny doll it's alright, Yumi…" Yumi had curl up, eyes on his knees, next to the door silently sobbing. "How much did you hear?"

"When Hizashi started taking about the kennel. I couldn't stop him from looking for you Puppet." Takashi stood on the opposite wall of the hallway, looking utterly defeated. "I'm so sorry. I was expecting to have to fight off physical attackers, not… his own tantrums…" Puppet was on the ground, gently working Yumi into getting his head up enough to wipe away his tears.

"Mean!" Yumi sobbed out, Shino stepping into the doorway. "Mean!" Yumi pointed at Shino accusingly.

"Nej… No, no way, he wouldn't act like this, this… What happened to you?!" Shino began to step backwards into the room. "This, can't be real."

"This is real. If you would like to talk about our lives here, then I'll gladly join you after breakfast. For now, I need to spend some time calming Yumi." Puppet firmly gripped Yumi by the elbow, once again Hizashi supported his other side as he hauled both himself and Yumi to their feet. "It's alright Yumi, he's ill." Puppet whispered.

"I must be, this is all too strange and frightening to be true. I must have hit my head and am in a delirium, or a genjutsu! That's the only way to explain this… The only way…" Shino looked over at Yumi, worrying his hands against one another. "I'm… Sorry, other..." Yumi pouted at him, pointing to Puppet.

"His name is Yumi." Takashi offered.

"He wants Shino to apologize to me." Puppet explained, Takashi looking even more deflated. Shino was standing there, shaking his head.

"I've never seen a member of his blood line pout before… I'm sorry… Puppet?" Shino looked at Puppet, who nodded his head. "And you're Yumi now?" Yumi nodded his head. "Is Kiba here?" Both shrugged.

"Kiba?" Yumi tilted his head cutely, before brushing off his bottom in an animated fashion.

"Yes, Kiba, you know him… Or you did… This is so confusing." Shino tried to walk down the hall, but a guard blocked him.

"Until you accept your new life role, you may not leave this area unless it is planned and you are escorted. Puppet will join you after breakfast." The guard placed a firm gentle hand on Shino's shoulder, turning him about. Shino went with the movement, but set it in his mind that he would figure this place out.

"Until after breakfast then, Puppet." Shino entered his room stiffly, turning the information about in his head.

…

There was too much noise. Just the sound of Suichi breathing next to him was enough to break his concentration, the guards shifting foot to foot, chatting, clinking of weaponry… When had he stopped hearing this? Shino couldn't remember. He always had the bugs increase movement in his ears whenever he had to think, concentrate, and then they would listen for oncoming danger for him. Now, all these sounds barraged him, and he couldn't imagine what it was like for Kiba and Akamaru. His heart clenched in his chest, Kiba! What happened to him, he swore he heard him when he was locked up in that rolling cage. Then again, it felt like he was hearing *everything* that was going on, his head ached so bad that he fell back into unconsciousness.

He tried to remember this "kennel" people kept talking about, slowly an image of white walls, white clothes, and many hands holding him down. Whenever he managed to get up the strength to hit or bite, a fit of depression and guilt would steal his rage, and he found that he couldn't hurt his captors. No matter how much he wanted to take a chunk out of one of their hands, or give them a big black eye, he found he didn't have the ambition, something he never felt before. He wondered if the others had the same issue, maybe that's why they didn't escape. He had plenty of opportunity to attack, but the mental block kept him from doing so. They must have had opportunity also, but why didn't they fight back? Why had they changed so much? A loud clang or a dropped kunai rattled him harshly, a shiver running up his spine.

"Focus focus focus…" Shino held his hands over his ears, trying to think.

"You alright?" The younger guard came up, tapping his forehead. Shino glared up at him through his sunglasses, the guy backing off. "Hey, just worrying about you. Do you have a headache?"

"Actually, I do. You guys are so loud." The young guard snorted, furrowing his brows.

"Relax, Suichi had the same problem when he first came here. The bugs apparently act like ear mufflers, protecting the eardrums. Here, try these." The slightly older guard whispered into the young one's ear, handing him some ear plugs. "Wear these for the next two days, then take them out. You'll see why he thinks we're loud." The guard smiled at Shino, who glowered back. "No matter how much you may hate us now, you'll grow to love us." The older man gently patted Shino's head. "And no matter how much you glare at us, insult us, and try to hurt us, we'll love you like our own son."

"I have a father." Shino snarled.

"Yes, now you have a bunch. We are but two of them."

"This conversation is over." Shino started to try to get out of bed, but the man stopped him.

"You want to think? Here." He handed off another set of plugs. "Breakfast will be served in bed. I hope you like pancakes."

"What are pancakes?" Shino asked, whispering. The sound of his own voice hurt his ears.

"You'll find out. Suichi didn't know what pancakes were when he first came here either. He loves them now." The guard raised his voice slightly as Shino twisted the ear plugs in, sighing in relief. "You'll grow fond of this place, really, it's a haven for everyone who lives here."

"Funny, it kind of feels like Hell." Shino muttered. "How long has Suichi been here?"

"Fourteen years, about… A little more actually." The elder answered, smiling.

"Aburame Suichi… I've never heard of him. Is he an Aburame or some other clan?" Shino stared into Suichi's face, searching.

"No, he is definitely Aburame. You have the best and most easily transferred chakra out of any clan. He looks just like you actually."

"Then why haven't I heard of him?" Shino crossed his arms, smelling something sweet coming down the hall.

"I told my father not to say anything." Suichi's eyes fluttered open, smiling at him. "I was on a mission when I was captured in a large net. My father couldn't get me out, I told him to tell the clan I had died in an accident." Suichi sighed. "I didn't want anyone to come after me. I didn't want them taken too."

"Who is your father?" Shino asked, brow furrowing. Suichi shook his head.

"You first."

"Aburame Shibi." Shino quickly stated. Waited. Grew impatient, feeling like he was connecting to his own inner Kiba that developed after spending so much time with the dog nin. "Come on, who's your father?" Suichi looked at his feet.

"You didn't know about me, no one said a word?"

"No one, now come on! I want to know!" Shino growled. Suichi's eyes teared up.

"He kept his promise. Father was always a man of his word." Shino rolled his eyes. "Ototo…" Shino's face froze.

"What?" He managed to choke out, shock settling into his chest. Suichi struggled to sit up, tears free falling down his face. "What did you just call me?"

"Mother was pregnant with you, father and I went on a mission to find a certain bug, we thought it would help if the kyubbi holder had stronger chakra eaters, so that the boy stood a better chance at living a normal life. I was captured, I didn't want you coming after me. I wanted you to grow up and not be under the shadow of what ifs…" Suichi pulled Shino into his chest. "I wanted father to focus on you, to raise you like you were his only child. Not to mourn the loss of his other son." Shino felt tears stinging his own eyes, and wondered why he was acting so emotionally. "I'm your older brother, Shino, but, do we… have other siblings?"

"No, no we don't, mother died soon after my birth." Shino shook his head. "So, my father has lost two kids now?" Shino was still trying to roll the idea of having a brother, a long lost brother at that.

"Mother died? So much has transpired since I left… Oh yes, yes, us, I'm the only older sibling you have." Suichi looked Shino in the eye, gently pushing his hair back. "I know I do not seem very emotional about mother's death, but, I've only thought about you since my capture. You're my little brother. You were supposed to be everything I wasn't, to be father's successor because I didn't want to be. You're turning, fifteen soon, right?" Shino nodded his head, smiling slightly that Suichi would know. "I'll have to tell Master that your birthday is coming around. He'll throw you a big party."

"Actually, it's more like two months away…" Shino admitted.

"Well, then we'll have winter solstice first, our party days are going to become more crowded now." Suichi smiled at him. "We don't have visitors on party days. Master plans it." Suichi looked to the guards warily. "Pretend Shino, please pretend that you'll accept this. There is no escape, and no one will help us. The sooner you realize this, the better. You're friends have changed, they are not who you once knew them to be. You'll be friends with them again, but they will be like, an entirely new person. You'll have to start all over again. I did." He looked over to the older guard. "Koronowae and I go way back, we were supposed to be on the same genin team when he dropped out of school to help his family on the farm. He barely remembered me after the slight kenneling he received, and I do mean slight. It was done in this house and not at the actual kennel, by the big guy that runs the mind altering operation. Koronowae would help you get home, if he remembered how to get there…"

"You forget his agoraphobia…" The young guard remembered to keep his voice down. "And just talking like that makes me upset Suichi, please stop, I don't want to have to report this to Wakka." Shino raised a brow.

"Wakka is Koronowae's personal guard. The one eyed man is Puppet's, his name is Hizashi, I suggest you keep far out of his way. He's fair, but frankly, he can barely see where he's going." Suichi chuckled. "He was my guard for a while when Jurubi's sister had a child, and needed an extra hand." The older guard puffed out his chest proudly. Suichi hugged Shino closer, pulling out an ear plug, whispering in his ear. "Do you know how to get home?" The guards didn't even notice the boy talking. Shino shook his head. "Kazume might, I have to get you home Shino. Father needs you. I'll talk to him, I'll try as hard as I can, ototo." Sitting back, his brows furrowed. "You called a boy Neji earlier. What was his clan name?"

"We do not have clans here." The young guard interjected, Shino wincing at the loudness.

"You don't think he's Hizashi's Neji… do you?" Jurubi leaned forward, the younger guard looking confused.

"What?"

"Hizashi had a son, named Neji. He came from the same village as you Shino." Jurubi looked excited, grasping Shino's hand.

"You mean, one eye guy, is Hyuuga Hizashi?" Shino asked, surprise etched in his face. "Did he come here nine years ago?"

"Yes and yes. Is that Neji? Is that his Neji?!" Jurubi asked, squeezing gently. Shino shook his head in disbelief. "No, thank goodness."

"No no, yes! Yes, Hyuuga Neji! But now he's, Yumi…" Shino sighed. "He finally has his father back, and he's no longer his jerk self…"

"We can't let Hizashi know." Jurubi whispered. "He cannot find out that his son is here, what has happened. He's mostly blind, he probably hasn't seen him yet because of that. We need to keep him away from Yumi." Jurubi turned to the younger guard. "Breathe a word of this to anyone, and I'll be forced to kill you. Hizashi deserves his rest, knowing that his son is not a successful ninja will break his heart."

"He was, he was top of his class, the best genin we have. I was thankful that I didn't get stuck fighting him in the chunin exams." Shino insisted firmly.

"Tell Hizashi that! It will make him so happy. Just don't tell him that Neji is here. Ever." Jurubi sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Poor Hizashi…"

"Poor Neji." Shino snarled back.

"Shino, you don't understand. Neji's, well, most of his old personality, is dead. Yumi is now living in his body." Jurubi sighed.

"Master Hiroko wouldn't kill anyone, he saves people!" The young guard fisted Jurubi's shirt. "Neji isn't dead! That is not Neji! It's a boy named Yumi!"

"Baka. Sit." The younger sat automatically at the intense stare of Jurubi. "The kennel essential kills the original personality, only keeping essential things, and then it builds a new personality over it. Over the years, they have gotten better and better at it. Kankurou, is the other one you have named. They have two others here, Neko and Shoji."

"Don't know them." Shino shrugged.

"The easiest way of telling who they are is by what they are afraid of, to eliminate the possibility of realizing their ninja abilities. Puppet is afraid of the unexplainable, chakra and the like."

"Makes sense, he is a puppet nin… Oh that's irony, calling a puppet nin "puppet" is really horrible."

"So is calling the top genin a feminine name like Yumi. Yumi is afraid of all things ninja." Jurubi huffed at the lack of respect. "Shoji is afraid of the dark."

"Shikamaru! Please tell me Neko has a fear of either the color green or orange…" Shino looked at Jurubi with pleading eyes, thankful that the glasses hid his begging.

"Well, we haven't been for-warned about color phobias… We know that he has an intense fear of dogs and a love of cats." Shino shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut tight to keep them from leaking. "Do you know who he is?"

"Kiba… My best friend…" Shino hugged his sides, Suichi resting him onto his chest. "Team Kakashi always get's stuck chasing some fat lady's cat because we can't use our superior tracking abilities… Kiba and Akamaru end up chasing the cat further away instead of bringing the poor thing back because it's afraid of their scent."

"Who's Akamaru?" Jurubi asked.

"His dog, I hope he's okay!" Shino looked up at Jurubi expectantly. Jurubi shrugged his shoulder.

"Neko didn't come with any pets, though he has laid claim to Kimiko the cat." A cook waltzed in with four plates full of fruit covered masses. "Ah! You're specialty Momo!" The woman laid out the plates with flourish, Suichi settling back and accepted a fork and knife with a smile, digging into the mound to reveal a bread-like product under the sugary toppings. Shino held his plate and eyed the food, taking the knife and fork with confusion. Seeing the guards diving into the meal, he furrowed his brows and began to pick at the items on his plate, recognizing strawberries and blueberries.

"Oh hunny, just eat it!" The woman chuckled at him. Shino looked up at her, surprised. "I make this only for special people! You need your strength. It's very very yummy!"

"She'll start to cry unless you eat it." The younger guard worked out, mouth stuffed with breadiness.

"I will not!"

"What are these?" Shino held up the utensils in each hand, raising a brow.

"Sorry, forgot… Suichi didn't know how to use those either…" Jurubi sat on the bed next to him, preparing to give a tutorial on proper knife and fork etiquette.

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_**Chapter end notes: Once again, thanks for reading people! I'm glad people are still enjoying this story! Let me know what you think folks!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter notes: Thank you all for the reviews! Keep reading! Loves 3**_

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Shino took in every nook and cranny of the room, ignoring the fact that the two guards were playing cards in a corner. It had an intensive library, stretching all the way down a long wall. A sliding ladder attached to the top of the shelving allowed for them to reach the highest ones, and they all appeared to be in immaculate shape. Shino assumed that they were entertainment for when Suichi was too weak to move. The bed was butted up against a wall, a night stand on either side, a closet between one of them and the books. It was more then a bedroom Shino decided, it had a living room feel, far larger then it needed to be. Then again, Shino reasoned, two people lived in here permanently, and the other two practically resided in there also.

The red headed younger one looked up at Shino, slightly frustrated over the lack of hearing ability that came with wearing the ear plugs.

"Looking for the bathroom?" He smiled, unsure if his voice was too loud or too quiet. Shino shook his head, looked around a little more, and then changed his mind with a nod. The younger man chuckled, standing up. "Over here, on the other side of these shelves. Can't you see the door?" He pointed to a crack in the wall with a genuine smile. "Might want to take off the sunglasses. I don't get why you two wear them."

"So when we stare daggers at someone, they don't get stabbed. Aburame trait." Shino snarled, going up to test the crack. The red head took a step back, Jurubi letting out a loud barking laugh. "How do you open this? It's like a secret room…"

"It is; it's a bathroom and a safe room. If we were to be attacked, you and Suichi, and depending on who is attacking us and what skills are needed to defeat them, either I or Jurubi will be in there with you. The pets have one under their beds, and there are others scattered throughout the house. Since I'll be with you all throughout your stay here, I'll be the one to let you into those rooms if need be."

"I assume that you'll also be teaching me where those rooms are." Shino sighed.

"Nope, that's why one of us will always be with you. They can only be opened from the inside." The young guard spun him around to face a wall, and Shino heard a grating sound. Turning, he saw a room with walls that appeared to be drawers. There was a flat area that was black, Shino wondered if it was a chalk board. "Bathroom through the door. We'll lock this opening because you can't lock the bathroom door." Shino felt off, slowly recognizing a door handle in the middle of another blank spot. "You're having a hard time noticing stuff, huh?" The guard sounded worried.

"Hikaru, Suichi had the same problem. He's disorientated, and you're doing a good job helping him acclimate." Jurubi hadn't moved since the red headed guard started to show Shino around their area. "Now, stop procrastinating, I know that I have you beat once again."

"That mean's I'm down a hundred credits…" Hikaru groaned, Shino raised a brow. "You good at cards?" He asked the Aburame, who shrugged.

"Never tried. Don't want to try." Shino turned away, looking closely at the books on the shelves.

"Great." The young guard punched in some numbers on a keypad on the inside of the door, unnoticed by Shino. Jurubi smiled as he sat down. "Three aces."

"You don't have to rub it in."

"Do they ever stop?" Shino groaned to himself, squishing the earplugs deeper into his ear canal.

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"Calmed down yet?" Puppet stood in the door way, arms crossed. Shino grumbled, closing a book on butterflies.

"Is Yumi calmed down?" Shino retorted, replacing the book on the shelf. Puppet smiled slightly.

"I'm going to try to pretend that that wasn't sarcastic." Uncrossing his arms, he went up to the book shelves and surveyed the bindings. "He snaps out of things quickly, it's more for my peace of mind. As soon as he stood up, he was over it." Puppet selected a book on praying mantises. "I wish that I could live like that."

"Like a dog." Puppet flashed him a sharp look. "No seriously, my best friend always tells me to live every moment in the moment, to let go of negative thoughts because all that really matters is right now." Shino flipped the book open to a picture he liked, letting Puppet take in the natural beauty of the insect. "He mostly brought it up when I was beating him at shoji." Puppet chuckled a little. "I'm trying to make connections in my head as to what is happening. My most favored advisors are-… rather occupied at the moment." Shino stumbled over his words, feeling his emotions bubbling up.

"They're dead, aren't they?" Puppet flipped the pages, careful not to make direct eye contact. Shino rolled his shoulders a little, his lips turning into a tight frown. "How long have you known them?"

"Since I was born, I've always had them there." Shino sighed, looking for another book.

"That's hard, to lose people that you've always had for support. What were their names?" Puppet pried a little deeper, still flipping through

the pages.

"Kikaichuu." Shino fished the book off the shelf. Puppet raised his brow. "Kikaichuu, they're insects who live within my body to help me perform tasks, even live daily life. As you can tell, my legs are very weak. They used to help me stand, walk, think, everything." He flopped the book open on the table, pointing to the close up of the insects. "They took them from me, at the kennel. The extra energy that Hiroko steals? The insects would feed off of it, give and take, team work. We all functioned as one being, they protected me, I need them." Shino fisted his hands.

"Shino, I think I'm beginning to understand you. Please, listen, follow me for a minute. What I felt when I first met you was that you were a selfish, self absorbed jerk. Follow me, follow me." Puppet raised his hands, closing his eyes and acting as though he was patting a pillow gently. "I see now, what was really going on in your world. You were scared, you feared that you were alone, but let me tell you something." Puppet caught his eyes, held them. "You are not alone, and you don't need them. Isn't it better to give life to someone who helps so many people? Don't answer that right now, wait and form your own opinion on him after a couple of days. For now, just try to relax and absorb all this." Shino sighed, focusing on the bridge of his own nose. "Your friend is right, you need to live in the moment, right now I am here with you, and we can form a new support base for you."

"What if I don't want a new one?" Shino felt his will power breaking down, mind still reeling with emotional confusion.

"Doesn't matter, you have one." Puppet stood, closing the books and replacing them onto the shelves. "I want you to come meet some of the other pets." Shino raised his brow. "Not Yumi, nor Neko and the Twins, but Shoji, Koronowae, and Kitsune." Puppet took Shino's upper arm in a gentle hold. "They're waiting for us. If you don't feel that you're ready, then we'll just spend time in here. Which ever you prefer."

Shino tried to break into a slight smile, looking out the door.

"Can Suichi come with me?" Shino asked, suddenly feeling nervous about meeting new people. Suichi rolled over, groaning.

"I'll be down in a minute, I need to get dressed in proper clothes first." Suichi began to slowly make his way out of bed as best he could, Shino wavering on whether to go over and help him or not. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up. I can't wait to meet the new guy Shoji face to face."

Shino took a deep breath, finding strength to leave the very room that he wanted to take off out of earlier that morning.

"Feels different, doesn't it?" Puppet smiled at Shino, taking his arm gently. Hizashi lurched forward off the wall he was leaning on, falling in step behind them. Shino furrowed his brows behind his glasses, trying to understand. "Ignore that, I don't know why I said that… I guess, not being tensed up, it feels different… I don't remember my life before, but, my shoulders have already begun to loosen up, my ulcers, are fading away. It's different, isn't it?"

"It feels different, but in a bad way for me. My muscles are weakened, my ears are ringing and I'm wearing ear plugs, and I just feel lost. So many things have changed for me, and I don't like any of it." Shino frowned.

"And you're tense again." Puppet sighed, rubbing Shino's shoulders. "Relax, relax, you'll be okay. You can play some shogi with Shoji."

Puppet smiled, Shino rolled his eyes.

"If you expect me to laugh, don't." Puppet frowned, shrugging his shoulders. "I almost forgot, Hizashi sama." Shino turned, stopping the larger man in his tracks as Puppet tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Yes." Hizashi stared down at him with his one clouded eye, Shino shifting uncomfortably.

"Hyuuga Hizashi…" Shino nearly asked, Hizashi nodded his head slightly. "I know your son…" Hizashi's eye brightened, leaning forward slightly. "I thought, you would want to know…" Shino swallowed a couple of times, fighting with himself.

"What? Is he alright?" Hizashi asked, resting a firm dangerous hand onto Shino's shoulder.

"He's…" Shino paused, arguing with himself some more. Seeing the younger guard, his guard, turning the corner and taking on a panicked look, he settled. "Please take no offense, but he's a jerk." Hizashi furrowed his brow, squinting. "An amazing ninja, but a jerk. He graduated top of his class, and has even learned some of the head families' techniques without their assistance, and is well on his way to making jounin."

Shino released his breath with the look of mirth that filled Hizashi's single eye.

"How tall is he?" Hizashi's question threw Shino off a little.

"Really, how tall was he the last time you saw him?" Shino looked rather unsure, waving his hand slightly higher than his head. "Are you sure?"

Hizashi's voice sounded concerned.

"Yes, about that high. Is there an issue?" Shino asked, unsure of how his shoulder would survive if Hizashi squeezed his hand into a fist.

"It's… Stunted…" Hizashi took his hand off of Shino, rubbing his chin.

"It's, very stunted, he should be only slightly shorter then me, his mother was tall also." Puppet shrugged.

"Maybe he's taking after his grandparents?"

"No, this is very strict. His genes should have him be my height, if not taller, if he was a daughter then he should be about five inches shorter then I. It's an easily measurable statistic for Hyuugas. It's our way of making sure that they are getting enough nutrition, especially since they tend to not eat and train instead. Don't tell me they didn't feed him after I left..." Hizashi growled to no one in particular.

"I don't really know, I just know that he's far more advanced then anyone else his age, even older." Shino tried to reassure him. "Hinata was on my team, he and she went up against one another during the chunnin exams, kicked her butt too. Downright scared Hiashi, I saw his face in the stands, or, well, one of my Kikaichu did." Shino felt secure as Hizashi seemed to take solace in how well Neji did.

"He may be short, but he's still stronger than the main house. That's all that matters." Hizashi smiled. "He does stand up for her though, right? I did raise him to view her as a little sister." Shino took a second to think of how to answer this.

"He didn't, for a while. He hated the main family, but, something changed after the first chunnin exam. The head family began helping him train, I guess that once they realized that he would figure out the main families' techniques on his own, save face and just teach him. And he began helping her try to catch up with him, I mean, Kiba and I did too, help her… But he has been a big boost to her self esteem." Shino sucked in a deep breath.

"So that's what you meant by jerk." Hizashi smiled, chuckling softly.

"Well, at least he's growing up better now, still beating her though?"

"She's never going to catch up, it's something she'll dream about, but even she has rather accepted it." Shino cowered closer to Puppet, nudging him to move on. Puppet took note of the awkwardness of the situation.

"They're waiting, let's go! Kitsune wants to meet you so bad!" Puppet spun the bug lover around and began to try to march him down the hall.

"Hikaru, if you want I'll watch Shino." Hizashi rumbled out, keeping up with the two ahead of him.

"How'd you know?" Hikaru asked, keeping to Hizashi's side.

"Shino twitched slightly, coinciding with your footsteps, and you smell of pancakes. Jurubi is a careful eater, Shino and Suichi change clothes, you do neither. Understand that I'm telling you all this to help you succeed as a guard." Hikaru nodded his head. "You can't be this forgetful when it comes to Shino's habits."

"I understand Hizashi-sama… You're so perceptive that I forget you can't see me."

"Flattery doesn't seem to be one of Shino's needs." Hizashi rolled his one eye, following Puppet down the halls by sound for a moment. "Thus, it doesn't need to be practiced on me. Tell me what he needs." Hikaru looked panicked, only saved from embarrassment because no one else was walking down the long halls.

"Well, uh… he seems to be doing well…"

"Physically, what does he need?" Hizashi was never one to form questions. Hikaru looked the boy up and down from behind, shrugging.

"He's… Fine?"

"He's weak. You'll have to walk him around the home in carefully timed intervals to help him build strength. This could be an issue when it comes to control, remember that. Emotionally, what does he need?"

Hikaru's slouched stature crunched in even more, brow furrowing.

"I, uh… I…" He stuttered.

"He's a borderline liar. He's uncomfortable and is unsure as to who he can trust, if he can't trust you, he'll lie his way into trouble. It's up to you to protect him, even if it seems not to be in his best interest in Shino's eyes. He trusts Puppet, because Puppet has proved himself to still be a logical mind. He'll probably trust his old friends too right off because he's trying to cling to whatever he has left. They'll break that trust Hikaru; they are not who he thinks they are. He is only beginning to understand that. It is up to you to get him to trust you and your ability to keep him safe from everyone, even Hiroko." Hikaru raised a brow. "Questions."

"Issue with your last statement…" Hikaru fell into Hizashi's speech pattern, trying to fit in with the seasoned guard.

"Hiroko babies his pets and Aburames, but he also can stress them out. The parties, showing them off, they have to be the picture of perfection, all the time, every time. Shino will have to get used to being in the spotlight."

"That is not an Aburame trait… Right?" Hikaru started strong, but wound up asking for reassurance. "Exactly. That was your intuitiveness talking, listen to it, don't question what your gut is telling you. Aburame's thrive as ninja because they hide, and no one notices them until they are just about dead. I once had a sparring contest with Shibi, Shino's father. Took me an hour just to find the man, and I had three hundred and sixty degree vision that could see through solid objects back then. What are some of Hiroko's favorite things to do to these guys when company is around, things you need to protect Shino from."

"The bright costumes, geisha outfits, hair dressings… Tricks!" Hikaru began to count them off on his fingers. "Spot lighting for prolonged periods."

"Most importantly." Hizashi stopped him from stepping into the room Shino and Puppet had disappeared into.

"Don't let them pet the Aburame, feed the Aburame, or be alone with the Aburame." Hikaru sounded nearly robotic, straightening up with pride at knowing the correct answer. "Jurubi taught you well. Have a nice afternoon off." Hizashi tipped his head to him.

"You just did that so that we could end this training session on a good note, didn't you?" Hikaru's shoulders fell again. Hizashi humphed a little, chuckled, and patted Hikaru on the shoulder.

"You're learning; Shino is a great responsibility that I wouldn't assign to just anyone, and Jurubi would have shut you down if he didn't think you could hack it. Keep working on your intuition, that is what will keep Shino alive."

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_**Chapter end notes: Review review respond ideas? Cookies?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**C****hapter notes: Wow that took a while. Thank you everyone for reading! Review, it makes me happy and keeps me going! Please? I'll bribe you with cookies :)**_

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Shino took in as much of the room as possible, allowing himself to ignore the guards in the corners and the trio of people in the middle of the room. There was high ceilings, columned walls and doorways, expensive furnishings including many couches and over stuffed chairs. Shino snorted, this place was far too extravagant for his tastes. Turning his attention from the red themed room, he took in the three young men sitting on scattered cushions. Shikamaru he picked out right off, playing a game of shoji against a stern faced boy, and a gentler faced pet, with brown hair tied up into a high pony tail, played with the stern faced boy's hair.

"Kitsune," Puppet introduced; the brown haired boy looked up, giving Shino a quick scan over before smiling and focusing on Shino's mouth. "Koronowae," The dark haired boy turned up two equally dark and foreboding eyes to rake over Shino's body and face. "And Shoji." Shikamaru didn't move, but Shino already had guessed to his identity. "This is Shino. He's the newest Aburame. Shino, it appears that Shoji and Koronowae are busy, but I'm sure we can chat a little with Kitsune." Puppet lead Shino up to the smiling boy, who put in the finishing touches of hair pins into Koronowae's hair.

"Just a little, I have to do Yumi's hair next. He has a lot!" Kitsune turned himself to face them, bowing until his forehead touched the floor. "I am so thankful that you came to our master's rescue. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to please you."

"Um… First you can sit up…" Shino shifted uncomfortably. Kitsune obeyed, sitting up and smiling at Shino's chin. "Why are you doing their hair up like… This?..." Shino eyed the ornate styling of Koronowae's hair.

"Geisha night." Koronowae answered without emotion, but sighed emphatically. "I'll do Shoji's, and the twins if you take on Neko. I do up three, you two. Deal?"

"By the time I'm done with Yumi, you'll be available to hold down Neko. Deal." Kitsune sighed back, standing up. "Unfortunately, I may not be available to chat at all. Koronowae and Shoji will be here for a little while; I must start on Yumi's hair. Forgive me." He bowed at the waist, Shino mimicking the movement slightly, Puppet bending lower. Kitsune glided out the room; one of the guards removed himself from a wall to follow.

"Who'll do his hair?" Puppet asked Koronowae. Koronowae snorted a little as Shoji settled a piece, shaking his head.

"He never loses, does he?" Koronowae shifted to sit behind Shoji, who grumbled and reset the board. "I'll do Shoji's right now, one of you play him. Then we go tackle the Twins, afterwards, while I'm holding Neko still, Yumi and you can do Kitsune's while he's doing up Neko's. Not that he needs much, I'm sure he'll end up ripping it all out anyways. We'll stream line this the more times we do it. It's all on cutting time." Shino kneeled before the board, eyeing Shoji's face, looking for a hint of Shikamaru. Shoji moved the first piece, resting his chin into the palm of his hand and placing his elbow on the side of the board. Shino mirrored his move with his own piece, then followed suit with his posture. Shoji moved another, Shino mimicking him, even hovering his hand above the board, trying to move in tandem with his opponent. Shoji finally looked up at him, exasperated with how the game wasn't progressing. His eyes glittered fiercely, locking onto the sunglasses with an intensity that Shino has only seen before in a competition where he allowed his sensei the first ten moves to make it more even.

"You're still in there…" Shino breathed a sigh of relief, completely oblivious to the silence that resounded after his comment. The moment broke, Shoji's gaze rested back to the board, taking on a bored expression, as he moved another piece. Shino continued to match him, barely waiting until Shoji removed his fingertips from his piece before mirroring Shoji's movement.

"What are you doing?" Puppet asked intently into Shino's ear, watching the whole interaction with rapt attention. Shoji no longer watched the board, staring into Shino's face, slowly showing more and more frustration at the sunglasses reflecting his own gaze back at him. Shino knew that Shoji couldn't tell if he was looking at him or the game, and felt a bit of envy at how Shoji didn't even need to look at the board to know where the piece he wanted was. Turn after turn, Shino didn't answer, mimicking his opponent, until Shoji slapped a hand on the board angrily, launching himself over the board and tackling Shino to the ground, tearing the sunglasses off and chucking them across the room.

"Shoji!" Koronowae sat, holding onto a tuft of hair staring in shock even though it appeared that he wasn't surprised at all.

"Shino?!" The guards had surrounded the two, not moving in any further as Shoji laid out on top of Shino, staring into his eyes as he panted harshly. Shino allowed Shoji to explore his face with his eyes, seething with something Shino couldn't place with hatred, not even so much with anger nor frustration.

"Funny, I always remembered you as a runner when you're scared, but you're fighting here, fighting for your life, out of fear aren't you?" Shoji didn't even blink, staring him down, but Shino was used to this behavior from Kiba. Thinking back to the day where Kiba decided to prove his dominance by sitting on his chest and staring Shino in the face for over two hours, Shino felt that he could handle some glaring from a boy in a red robe with jingling hair pins in his hair. "Do you remember? Do you remember when you used to make people *shadow* you on purpose?... Shikamaru…" Shoji leaped up from the floor, bee lining for the welcoming arms of Shindo. Shino forced himself up form the floor, snarling. "Do you? Answer me!" The other guards moved in to restrain him, grabbing him under the arms. Shoji grumbled. "Speak up!"

"I… don't…" Shoji gritted out, turning his face so that he could be heard. Everyone froze for a moment as Shino began to slowly sag. "I… don't…" Shoji buried his face back into Shindo's chest. A door banged open, a cat skittering across the tiles.

"Kimiko! Kimiko Kimiko Kimiko!" Neko chased after the cat, quickly scooping it up into his arms. Looking up, his face fell as he took in the scene before him. Gasping, he charged through the middle of the group.

"Kiba!" Shino wrested an arm from a guard, preparing to welcome his best friend into an embrace.

"Shoji!" Neko knocked him out of the way with enough force to send him to the floor for the second time that day. Shoji turned to bury his face into Neko's shoulder as the cat toting boy ran to him. "Shoji?" The cat yowled as she was squashed between the two bodies. Neko repositioned it so that it could breathe, but refused to release her completely. "Shoji hurt?" Shoji didn't respond, just stood there unmoving. "Shoji hurt." He glared at Shindo, before surveying the room. "Shoji hurt!"

"Neko-kun, it's okay Neko-kun. Is Shoji bleeding?" Mizuki made his way into the room and began to detangle the cat from between them, though she remained looped around their shoulders.

"A little from the back of his head, he ripped out some of his own hair to attack Shino." Koronowae inspected the wound. "I think I can hide it, but first I need coagulant, let's get him to a medical room."

"Shoji?" Neko sounded completely surprised, trying to look at Shoji's face. Shoji buried it further, slowly following Koronowae's tugs.

"Yes, Shino must have frustrated him some how, and now we need to fix some things before the big party. Shouldn't take too much, but let's hurry." Koronowae was tailed by the two hugging boys and three men, Puppet remaining to ask Shino some questions.

"Where's Hikaru?" Shindo asked, irritated. "Isn't he supposed to be here to guard this one?"

"I gave him leave, I wanted to observe Shino's behavior uninhibited." Hizashi steadied Puppet against his side, already knowing the answers to the questions. "Shoji will be fine, I'm sure of it Shindo. It was a light scuffle, I don't think that most of us need to fill out any accident forms, now do we." Once again, there was no question in Hizashi's voice, and everyone bowed down to Hizashi's dominance. "Shoji did slip on a wet floor unfortunately, and hit his head. We need to resend the notice of making sure to clean up messes on our tile floors, am I correct?"

"I better start on the paper work then, damn accident reports…" Shindo smiled, shaking his head with a little laugh. "Thanks, Hizashi…"

"Thought you would like to keep Shoji from being sent back to the kennel. Show's over folks; get ready for our guests!" Hizashi barked at the remaining guards, who quickly moved out. "Shino, talk to me." Hizashi once again placed his powerful hand onto Shino's shoulder.

"I wanted to see if Shikamaru was still in there, and he is, I saw him look back at me." Shino accepted his sunglasses that Puppet had retrieved. "I just had to get him out of there."

"Shino, you can't do that again. If you do, Shikamaru will be the one to pay for it." Hizashi chose his words carefully. "You don't want to hurt Shikamaru, do you?" Puppet raised his brow, but bit his tongue.

"What if I do? He let us down. He let Kiba down." Shino spun on his heel, trying to march out.

"If I heard right, there were two groups, and two leaders…" Hizashi pulled his empty hand back to cross his arms, his one eye turning back to Puppet to keep the boy silenced. Shino froze, hair on the back of his neck standing up. "And that it wasn't Shikamaru's group who fell first, that actually, most of Shikamaru's group was really with the other leader, and that it was Shikamaru and Kankurou who took out a member of the capture team between the two of them."

"Enough." Shino growled.

"Never again."

"Never again, where's Hikaru?" Shino suddenly found him missing his presence. "And Suichi? Where's Suichi he said he was coming…"

"Suichi fell back asleep." Hikaru strode into the room with his long legs, bright red pony tail streaming behind him. "You alright?" He placed both hands on Shino's shoulders, stooping to look at Shino's face. "I heard you took a hard hit…"

"Fine, didn't even hit my head." Shino almost smiled at him, the worried look on his face making him feel warm inside.

"Shoji's the one who slipped and fell, hit the back of his head on the floor with enough force to rip out some hair." Hizashi picked a loose thread from Puppet's robe.

"Well that doesn't make any sense…" Hikaru raised his brow, standing up. "How did his hair rip out?"

"That's for Shindo to figure out." Hizashi's eye twinkled slightly. Hikaru raised his chin a little in understanding. "Shino is done testing Shoji, I hope he learns from this and doesn't test the other new pets." Hikaru nodded his head emphatically. "We'll work on this together, right Shino?" Shino grumbled at him, heading for the door. "Geisha night Hikaru." Hizashi directed Puppet to another door.

"Got it." Hikaru guided Shino to a different door than the one he originally entered. "You're not ready for a geisha night. Let's go for a jog." Shino raised a brow. "No, really, I've been thinking about if the guest situation was going to be to much for you tonight, and a geisha night is just going to drive you up the wall, so let's go for a jog, get you good and exhausted, and we can't have an exhausted Aburame for the exchange tonight now can we?" Hikaru smiled. Shino sighed, relieved.

"No hair pins?" Shino asked.

"Maybe for a short time, but we have to hurry! Let's go jogging time move it!" Hikaru pushed him along a marked track, Shino recognized it as a gym.

"Why hair pins?" Shino quickly found himself tiring.

"To make it look like we're trying." Hikaru nudged him along a little further. "We have to make it seem like Master Hiroko's idea that you're too tired."

"You're good." Shino panted.

"You may regret saying that, it might go to my head." Hikaru grinned, not even beginning to get winded.

…..

"Let me see there Shoji." Koronowae began to part his hair, dabbing a piece of gauze against the wound. "Yep, just a little bit of coagulant, I'll braid some hair together so that we won't have to stitch him up because, well, I would have to cut his hair to do that properly…" Koronowae took an ointment and rubbed it deep into the wound, Shoji grimacing.

"Shoji cry?" Neko had Shoji's face in his hands, Kimiko wrapped about his shoulders comfortably.

"Does it hurt too much Shoji?" Shindo asked worriedly as Koronowae tied little knots close to Shoji's scalp, closing the wound slowly.

"Shadows…" Shoji whispered, closing his eyes and shuddering slightly.

"Shino really shook you up huh?" Shindo patted his shoulder. "You even wanted a hug."

"Shadows." Shoji said, firmer. "Shadows."

"And we're done." Koronowae began settling in to cleaning the hair of blood. "Now all I have to do it dress up your hair." Shoji sighed.

"I'm a little worried though, will you be alright with all the stimulation?" Shindo firmly held Shoji's eyes in his gaze. Shoji slightly furrowed his brow. "Okay I got it I got it…" Shindo waved his hands in surrender.

"You're gonna wish that you nodded by the time I'm done…" Koronowae mumbled around three hair pins held in his lips, tightly twisting some hair.

"I don't think he can anymore." Wakka chuckled, crossing his huge arms in front of his equally ridiculously large chest. Neko took the opportunity to use him as a human tree, using the crossed arms as a grip point to counter balance him as he walked up Wakka's legs, switching a hand hold to his shoulder to get a foot planted into Wakka's elbow, swinging around so that he sat on one broad shoulder, and poked at the light he could now reach.

"You okay Wakk?" Mizuki held himself at the ready to catch the man climber, who still managed to keep Kimiko around his neck throughout the steep ascent.

"You know, if I wasn't I woulda not let him. I'm used to the climbin from Kazume, that kid is like a monkey you know." Wakka smiled up at Neko, who made himself right at home on one of the broad shoulders.

"Yea?" Mizuki smiled, waiting for something. Wakka nodded his head. "Oh c'mon, yea?" Wakka sighed.

"Ya…" Mizuki spun his hands in a motion to urge him on. Wakka resettled his feet, swaying slightly. Neko swayed the opposite way to keep his seating. "Ya… Brudda." Mizuki gave a little victory leap.

"If only you didn't cut your hair!" Mizuki exclaimed, Shindo shaking his head.

"Look mon, when I was pulled through that weird hole thing I realized I had to fit in ya? So that means changes you know."

"It's hard to fit in when you fall asleep in the onsen, under water…" Shindo leaned up against a wall as Shoji glared at him. "Hey, I'm not the one doing your hair, don't blame me."

"I can't help it brud… Anyways, like I was saying, I can't keep up with the funny talk ya. You know, I have to sound like you guys you know. Besides, isn't it kinda a help to be able to hold my breath for so long ya know?"

"I guess it is. It's just rather creepy when I find you taking a nap in the bottom of the pool."

"What, it's relaxing." Wakka smiled, once again shifting his weight, sending Neko into another rebalancing act.

"Done. Now on to the twins." Koronowae lead the procession out to the hall, heading towards the gardens. Wakka raised one of his arms up to help keep Neko on as he swung one leg out to angle his hip and bend so Neko wouldn't get hit on the head. Kimiko was then gripped by Neko to keep her on, giggling as Mizuki made as if to catch him.

…

"Can you copy me?" Koronowae asked Puppet as Hizashi lead him down the winding paths of the gardens. Puppet raised his brow, standing behind a kneeling Koronowae, who was behind one of the twins.

"What are you asking me to do?" Puppet asked.

"Watch." Koronowae stuck a hair pin into the hair of the one sitting in front of him, and the mirror image staring at the face of the decorated being reached across and removed it, once again keeping the façade that they were just looking into a mirror. "See? Every time I put a hair pin in, the other takes it out, usually Kitsune and I work on them together. I never really thought of it before, but Kitsune always mirrored me while doing their hair. This must be why. So, can you do it?"

"I'll try." Puppet shrugged, sitting behind the unmanned boy. Watching Koronowae intently, he tried his best to put in everything the same, but the hair was shorter and harder to work with. He could always tell when he did something wrong though, because his twin would reach out and remove the piece Koronowae had carefully put in. "This is rather impossible." Puppet sighed, trying to keep his patience. "This is worse than when Yumi wants to look at the hair pin after I put it in." Hizashi chuckled quietly.

"Want us to hold their arms down?" Two other identical men stood to the side spoke in unison, tilting their heads comically to the side together.

"It won't work. They'll just freak."

"Now, if you don't mind my asking, who are you two?" Puppet asked, finally allowing curiosity to guide his thoughts.

"I'm Akihito." The one on the left pointed to his chest.

"I'm Akihiko." The one on the right gestured to himself.

"We're the twins guarding the Twins." They smiled, nodding their heads.

"Uh…huh…" Puppet raised his chin, slightly nodding.

"We both respond to both names, so it doesn't really matter anymore." Both shrugged.

"We used to get upset," Akihito started.

"When people messed us up." Akihiko ended.

"Then we realized it didn't really matter." Both concluded, Puppet trying to follow who was speaking. "And since we both have relatively the same thoughts, we both speak at once, much easier then having the sentences get broken up, right?" Both settled back onto their heels, clasping their hands behind them.

"It is." Puppet agreed.

"Puppet, keep up." Koronowae rubbed his tired looking eyes, trying to wake himself up. "Geisha night is in a little over three hours, and we have dance practice in full costume."

"I have a costume?" Puppet asked. "I barely have any clothes!"

"Hiroko sama is having you wear one of his ceremonial robes from his younger days. We can't do up your hair because it's so short, and dancing is a no-no for you too." Koronowae sounded border line frustrated. "So you're going to be on witty chat duty with me, and that means that we're going to have to up the 's' factor for you." Koronowae motioned for them to switch places, Koronowae trying to tighten up the hair around the pins to hold them in better. "That also means that Hizashi sama has to be out of sight yet on double duty because well, some people may not know the rules."

"Okay you're going a bit fast for me!" Puppet raised his hands. "Witty chat duty? 'S' factor, and all these rules that no one has told me?" Koronowae sighed.

"Their hair is good enough for now, everyone, get into your costumes!" He shooed away the younger ones, wondering if the twin guards would be willing to hold down Neko, who was still wildly running in circles around Wakka with Kimiko holding onto the newly reinforced shoulders of his robe.

"Follow Kimiko Neko!" Mizuki snatched the cat from his shoulders and took off down a row of flowers after the twins.

"Kimiko!" Neko exclaimed, laughing and running after the cat who was yowling at the top of her lungs. "Mizuki!"

"Kitsune and I termed what we do 'witty chat duty' because we fill in empty spots of conversation with little quips from historical stories. We learn short stories to tell to guests to entertain them, funny little tales from our lives, about the other pets will work for you. People always like to talk about the twins, though I'm sure everyone will want to hear about Yumi. There's your conversation piece. Just sit where people are looking bored and ask how their night is going, and be all happy and perky. Hizashi can't be two steps behind you like usual, but I'm sure he can handle it. The 's' factor and the rules go hand in hand. We have to be, sensual beings… Very, exotic and, well…" Koronowae stepped in close. "Sexual… beings…" Puppet took a big step back, holding his hands up.

"Whoa hey now! That is not what Yumi, Neko, Shoji and I are for!"

"Just listen to me okay? That's where the rules come in. They are not allowed to touch us beyond what we are comfortable with. If you don't want to be touched at all, they have to respect that. We are not expected, nor allowed, to do anything with the guests nor each other. We are sexual beings, getting everyone worked up and stimulated" Koronowae got a look of sexual tension on his face, gently running his fingers in a butterfly touch down Puppet's face. "And then we go to our beds and consider it a good night's work." Koronowae dropped the act, going back to his unemotional stern self. Puppet took a deep breath and let it out with a whooshing sound. "That's why Kanaye is really upset about all us pets. So many little teases, with no release." Koronowae began to lead the way down the row of flowers. "He finds it a waste, which is why Hiroko sama can't leave us with him, not until he sees the world as a sensual place instead of a sexual paradise."

"Or, you know, a hell for him in this case." Wakka chuckled, Hizashi shaking his head. "What? Funny ya?"

"Not so much, because he's going to become our master, and have us do what ever he wants. This includes you Wakka." Wakka swallowed hard.

"Like what?" Wakka asked, sounding unsure.

"Like, hold him down while Kanaye has his way, or even have you join…" Hizashi shrugged, acting as though it didn't really matter.

"I would never!" Wakka crossed his arms angrily, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Wakka, he was joking." Puppet smoothed over the huge muscled man's ruffled feathers. "I hope…" Puppet whispered into Koronowae's ear as Wakka let out a nervous laugh, continuing on the way down to the pet's room.

"Koronowae! I need you!" Kitsune's voice called out into the hall, guards leaning against the wall holding back chuckles. Koronowae picked up the pace. "I'm done with Yumi, sit in his lap or something." Kitsune looked genuinely flustered, hands on his hips as Neko looked up at him with the best innocent face he could muster. "I know you're cute but I have to do your hair, and don't pick up Kimiko you'll get cat hair all over your self!" Kitsune caught the cat in mid-air, returning her to the bed. The cat yowled her discontent, immediately trying to return to Neko. Neko held out his hands excitedly, about to stand up as Kitsune pushed him back into the chair. "I said no!" He tried to fend off the feline, who easily dodged and landed right into the silk covered lap of Neko. Kitsune let out a sound of frustration. "Fine, fine! Kimiko stays with you all the time why not at parties?" Koronowae let out what could have been considered a chuckle, trying to think of a way of keeping Neko still.

"Have you've given him a piece of paper yet?" Puppet raised his brow. Kitsune mimicked him, to frustrated to be able to think. "Give him his sketch pad, here…" Puppet took up the sketch pad and pencils, handing them to Neko. "Draw me a Kimiko in a kimono, please." Neko grinned, holding the cat under her front legs to appear to be standing, put her down on his lap, and began to scratch at the pad with a pencil, head perfectly still.

"That's… all it takes to get him to sit still?" Kitsune breathed, staring at what he considered a very strange sight. Puppet nodded, and Kitsune fell onto the bed in a heap. "Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?" Puppet shrugged.

"Want me to do his hair?" Koronowae offered, Kitsune sitting up preparing himself to dive in to work.

"I can get it, it just took me a little over an hour to get Yumi's done up properly, and then Kanaye dono came by and took it all out except for three pins. I had it all up too!" Puppet's eyes widened at the thought of seeing the back of Yumi's neck, a rather impossible idea to him. "But then Kanaye dono had to come by and inspect him, he looks better with his hair down he says, why did you hide it all up like that he says, sometimes I wish…" Koronowae grasped both of Kitsune's shoulders tightly, jolting Kitsune from his thoughts.

"Remember, what ever you see is the truth… Just what was for breakfast…" Koronowae looked Kitsune in the eye, Kitsune taking a deep breath. Puppet gave them a confused look, but was ignored.

"Thank you, Koronowae…" Kitsune settled back into his usual calm demeanor. "Kanaye just, gets to me, after the time I saw…" He shook his head. "I'm not going to think of it, nope, let's just work on Neko's hair together, it's pretty short but I think we can fit one into a good braid." Koronowae's face appeared to have a soft smile as he gathered up some hair in both hands, ready to start braiding.

* * *

_**Please read and review! Sorry for the long wait for the update!**_

_**I am on narutofic and go by Recita1717.**_


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